


A Small Part Of A Vast Universe

by Wisteriona



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, F/M, Female Senkuu, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Ishigami village - Freeform, Multi, Romance, Science, Stone Age, Stone Wars, Tsukasa empire, kingdom of science - Freeform, perseus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23342365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wisteriona/pseuds/Wisteriona
Summary: Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu, Chrome/Ishigami Senkuu, Hyouga/Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Senkuu/Kinrou, Ishigami Senkuu/Nanami Ryuusui, Ishigami Senkuu/Original Male Character, Ishigami Senkuu/Saionji Ukyou, Ishigami Senkuu/Shishiou Tsukasa, Ogawa Yuzuriha/Ooki Taiju
Comments: 25
Kudos: 74





	1. 3700 More Years In Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Dr Stone belongs to Inagaki Riichiro. I only own my OCs.

“IM GOING TO DO IT, KIYOSHI!!”

”Taiju, buddy calm down.” 

“TODAY IS THE DAY I TELL HER, IM GOING TO CONFESS TO YUZURIHA! WHERE’S SENKU?! I GOT TO LET HER KNOW AS WELL?!!”

”The lab probably. She should be having science club right now.”

”OK! LETS GO!!!” The brown haired boy grabbed his friend’s forearm tightly as he dragged him across the school corridors. Normally, Kiyoshi is considered taller and just as built as Taiju, but this was normal for him. Being dragged around by the shorter male was what he was used to, so he didn’t fight back, fearing he would unintentionally harm his friend.

Senku was busy with another one of her experimentation when they had barged into clubroom, startling every other students other than her. It was no surprise to her when she caught sight of her two male friends out of the corner of her eyes. The brown haired one was just glowing with excitement and determination, she pretty much already know what this was going to be about. Based on how messed up Kiyoshi’s metallic blue hair was, Senku could tell he was dragged here by Taiju. If only he learnt how to say no to his friends or at least fight back a little, he wouldn’t have ended up looking so disheveled.

“LISTEN UP, SENKU! I’VE DECIDED! TODAY’S THE DAY!!!” Kiyoshi plugged his ears, he believed that it was good Taiju was so motivated, but was it really necessary for his eardrums to explode just so his friend could fully express himself? They haven’t even gotten to the confession part yet. “THAT I AM GOING TO TELL YUZURIHA THESE FEELINGS I’VE HAD INSIDE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS!!” He also never understood why his friend chose to wait five years to come to this conclusion. The two had already showed early signs of mutual attraction when they were still kids.

Teal eyes locked with crimson ones. Senku could practically see Kiyoshi begging her to calm Taiju down before the taller male ends up bleeding from the ears. She smirked, he was so cute when he begged. As soon as her focus reverted to the oaf she put on a look of disdain and spoke in her most sarcastic voice (let’s be honest Senku is almost always sarcastic with Taiju) and said, “Oh? Well, well... Now that is something I’m quite interested in, indeed. I’ll be cheering you on so loud my vocal cords might tear... From here in the science clubroom, that is.”

The blue-haired boy gave her a crooked smile. He already knows what she meant to say. “OHH GREAT! THANKS A TON, SENKU!” That was also to be respected, at the very least his friend did not seem to lose his mojo, though it was thanks to how thick skulled he was mostly. But he didn’t need to hear that.

”Ugh, shut the hell up already. As if I’d give you a millimeter of cheering, you great big oaf.” Senku sometimes intimidates Kiyoshi with how straightforward she can be. He can still remember the time she told him that she likes his face because he looked like a kicked puppy. Apparently the pathetic look on his face was amusing. The moment he stopped reminiscing he realized he had zoned out most of Taiju’s and Senku’s discussion. 

”It’s a kind of love drug. If you drink this it’ll be 10 billion percent in the bag!” Senku handed Taiju a flask filled with some suspicion liquid.

Kiyoshi was definitely not letting him down that stuff. “Taiju, don’t you dare drink that stuff! Senku, don’t just hand out mysterious substance to other people.” He took the bottle from Taiju and dumped it into a nearby sink. Senku just smirked mischievously at him as she matched his doubtful stare.

”It’s ok, Kiyoshi.” He sighed in relief when Taiju places an understanding hand on his shoulder and he broke eye contact with Senku. “Thank you, Senku! But I’m sorry. I don’t want to rely on this kind of underhanded trick.” Taiju immediately left the clubroom afterwards. Kiyoshi wishing him luck as he sped off to go tell “the love of his life” his true feelings.

“Senku, what was that just now? I doubt it was a love drug.” 

“Heh.” She threw a lit match into the sink that he had previously emptied the contents of her love drug into. At contact the liquid alight flames with a loud booming sound. “As if something like that actually exists. That was just regular old gasoline. I refined it from these plastic water bottle caps. Think about the molecular structure of polyethylene for a sec, morons. It’s just hydrocarbons sliced off the gasoline. You can tell just by looking, can’t you?”

Kiyoshi smile twitched, he loves Senku just as much as Taiju and Yuzuriha, but her love for science sometimes reach a whole new level of extreme. He worries that one day she’d even risk her own well-being to pursue her path. Because when it comes to science, Senku never gives up.

”But wait a second, if Taiju had drank that, he’d have died.” One of the science club kid pointed out. It was a pretty obvious fact. Kiyoshi didn’t need to stop the brown haired boy to ensure he didn’t drink it, that he already knew, it just wouldn’t make sense for some one as sincere as Taiju to use such tactics. Kiyoshi only stopped him because they didn’t knew what it was, it could have been lethal to just breathe it in, and Taiju was not the brightest.

”Kukuku... It was 10 billion percent chance certainty that he wasn’t going to drink it. That straight-arrow, sincere idiot...” Kiyoshi smiled at Senku, at the very least she took that into consideration. No matter how different they all were, Senku still understood them perfectly and got along with them just fine.

”It wouldn’t hurt you to have been a little more supportive though.” She smiled and simply shrugged her shoulders before returning back to work on her project. He didn’t even want to know what that thing was, other than it could make gasoline from bottle caps, a scary concept in itself.

The blue-haired boy wandered over to one of the windows just outside the clubroom, it overlooked the school’s backyard. His teal eyes wandered over to a camphor tree, they focused in on a familiar figure of a girl with long brown hair wearing a unique white headband. He could see the overly-determined Taiju entering the scene.

”Guess he’s really doing it.” The other guys in the science club were all looking out the window and making bets that Taiju was going to get rejected. They didn’t know anything about Taiju and Yuzuriha if that was how they saw things, Kiyoshi knew better. Taiju won’t get rejected.

”I’ll put 10 thousands yen on him unexpectedly not getting dump.” Senku said as she purchased an energy drink from a nearby vending machine. 

“Seriously?!” Senku walked over to Kiyoshi and handed him a drink, ignoring her club mates.

”Thanks.” He said as he took the drink from her.

”What’s your take on this little dilemma?” 

“Hmm?” He quickly took a side glance at where Taiju was standing. He was blushing heavily, so was Yuzuriha. They were a match made in heaven. Kiyoshi smiled at his friends, his hands began to fiddle with the ring he wore as a necklace. It was a special ring he always wore, and when he was feeling any strong emotions he would began to play with it. He could tell Taiju was nervous, but he shouldn’t be. Kiyoshi would always support his friend. “Nah. He won’t get rejected. He’ll be fine.” Senku gave him a cocky smirk before turning to look out the window as well.

They were listening in as Taiju was about to confess when he saw it. A bright glowing light shining from the horizon to their right. It was an ominous glow, nothing Kiyoshi had ever seen before. As it got closer the boy saw his friend Taiju stand protectively in front of Yuzuriha, trying to shield her from the approaching light. He watched in horror as his two friends were quickly turned to stone. On reflex, the teen grabbed Senku and pulled her into a protective hold. He could feel the white and green haired girl tense in the hug, but it didn’t matter. The light engulfed them and Kiyoshi felt all sensation leave his body as he was turned to stone. Everything fell dark, all except his mind. He could still think.

”It’s going to be ok. I just need to stay conscious no matter what. I’ll see them again, doesn’t matter how long, I’ll see my friends again.” He thought to himself. Kiyoshi began thinking back to past, the oldest memory he could remember up to the moment he was petrified. He will hold on to everything he knows and stay awake until he can escape this stone prison...

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

How long had it been since that day, the day all of humanity had turned to stone. He couldn’t quite remember. The last thing he was thinking about was the last conversation he had with his father before going to school that day it all happened, but it was cut short as he started to feel the sensations in his body returning to him. Then it cracked, the stone that encased him started to crack, bit by bit and fell off. The first part of him he could move was his right arm.

Kiyoshi tried to move and forced himself into a sitting position, fragments of stone crumbled away as he did so. He blinked a couple of times, letting his vision adjust to the light. Looking around, he could see that he was in a cave. Overhead he felt something dripped onto his hand, the area turned into a pale yellow color.

”Acid? Nitric acid?” There were bats above him, many of them were hanging from the cave ceiling. Standing up, he surveyed the area. “Taiju?!” The boy knelt down and examined the stone statue of his friend that laid beside where he once laid. Kiyoshi noticed that he was the only other statue there in the cave with him. “Wait, what happened to Senku?” He vaguely remembered holding the petite girl when they were both petrified.

”Right here.” Turning to face the entrance of the cave, Kiyoshi felt himself teared up at the sight of the familiar albino standing at the entrance of the cave. “Good to see you finally awake, that big oaf sure is taking his time.”

”Senku, you’re ok.” He said as he wiped the tears away. “I was so worried. I’m glad I get to see you again.”

”Stop that! Don’t get all mushy on me.”

”Sorry.” He laughed. Even after all this time, Senku hasn’t changed in the least. It was so refreshing to see her not the least bit bothered by the whole ordeal, which would have shook anyone else down to their core. He wasn’t too bothered, he was free, so was Senku, that means they can still free everybody else. He still have hope. “How long have you been out? I remember holding you when we were turned to stone, but you were already gone when I woke up.”

Senku felt her cheeks heat up after being reminded of the hug. “Yeah, well... Do you know how inconvenient that was?! I had a hard time getting out of it without breaking you. I think I even cracked your right arm because of it! Why did you have to go and hug me like that!?!”

”Crack?” Now that she mentioned it, his right arm was the first part to depetrify, now there was an odd crack pattern from his wrist to his forearm. “So that’s what these marks are, huh?”

”Yes, a side effect of the petrification. The nitric acid from the bat guano was able to convert you back, but not Taiju? Guess it’s back to the drawing board.” Senku turned around to leave the cave. “Let’s go, I can’t stand talking to a naked man any longer.” Kiyoshi blushed as the fact dawned on him. 

“Sorry! I’m so sorry! This is highly inappropriate of me!” The boy rushed to a nearby tree, grabbing some vines and leaves to wrap around his waist and hide his genitals. His cheeks were burning as bright as the sun, and probably just as warm. He had no clothing on except for the ring he always wore as a necklace. It had somehow miraculously survived with him throughout his imprisonment. “Senku, how long has it been since you got out?” 

“A seven days ago, a week to be exact. I’ve been trying to build a small shelter for myself, but it’s a bit difficult, so I’m glad you are out.” She didn’t bothered to face him as they walked away from the cave. Taking in her appearance, Senku hadn’t aged a day, she still had long white hair with dark green tips, the only difference was that instead of her usual bang that fell over her face, there were now two strands of it. Her eyes were still as red as rubies, but now there was a pair of reflecting cracks that ran over her eyebrows to her eyes.

”By any chance, do you know why I was able to break out, but Taiju didn’t?”

”When I woke up, we were both in the cave, stuck in that hug.” She refused to face him. The girl feared he would see the obvious blush that spread across her face. It was an act done in vain because Kiyoshi noticed her ears had turned red, but he chose to not question it. “I was directly under the nitric acid so I broke out first.” Senku decided it’d be best if he left out the part where she awoke completely bare in the arms of a naked man, statue or not. “But you were already exposed to a bit of it as well, I found Taiju a few days later and brought him to the cave.” The blue haired boy snorted as he tried to picture the little albino trying to carry the large statue from wherever she found it all the way to the cave. He knew Senku was weak, more than most women her age. “But the reason you broke out so quickly, I’m not clear on it yet, but... You probably had a catalyst on you to help speed up the process.”

”I’m not sure I know what this catalyst is supposed to be.”

”It’s the ring, stupid. It’s made of platinum, isn’t it?”

”Y-Yeah...” He clutched the ring tightly in his hand. Even when everything fell to ashes, it somehow stayed and saved his life. It protected him even now.

”Don’t cry.” Kiyoshi looked at her confused. Senku meekly faced him, trying to maintain her usual poker face. She knew what he was probably thinking about, the boy was too easy to read, and she can’t afford to have a vulnerable ally in their situation. “Don’t misunderstand, your feelings are none of my concern. But... Neither of us have time to deal with your emotions right now, it’s irrational and will only cause us trouble. So pull yourself together! We have to save humanity!”

Kiyoshi blinked, feeling the small of traces of tears that had begun to form just as Senku said, and took a deep breath before giving his friend a grateful smile. “Yeah, let’s do that. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we’re going to bring back all 7 billion people.” Senku smirked.

”Don’t underestimate the power of science!”


	2. Progression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

Footsteps? Kiyoshi was busy helping Senku collector materials when he heard it. It sounded like rushing footsteps, not an animal’s, but a human. Did somebody else survived the petrification? He himself had escaped several months ago, and not once was there any other person around beside him and Senku, unless you count the numerous stone statues. The prospect of of there being someone else got the boy excited.

”Senku, I think someone’s nearby!” He said as he ran in the direction of the sound. Senku following him as they made their way towards a tree that Senku had carved her name, and year she had broken out of the petrification. The two climbed to the higher branches. Kiyoshi grinned in joy at the sight of a familiar face standing at the front of the tree. “TAIJU! Buddy!!”

”K-KIYOSHI!! SENKU!!” Taiju called out at the sight of his two friends. His face showing a look of disbelief and ecstasy.

“Kukuku... So you finally woke up, eh? You great big oaf.” Senku’s smugness immediately dropped in the next moment and was replaced by a look of horror and disgust when Taiju jumped to hug his friends. Kiyoshi didn’t fight it and just let the brunette hug the daylights out of him. Senku was not so willing, she was trying to keep the boy at a distance with her foot. Taiju didn’t seemed the least bit aware that he was getting kicked in the face.

”GUYS!! YOU’RE ALIVE!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I... I...”

“DON’T HUG ME WEARING THOSE BUTT NAKED CLOTHES OF YOURS!! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!” Kiyoshi tried to separate Taiju from Senku before she ends up making good on that promise. It wasn’t easy, not with Taiju’s obliviousness.

”C’mon, buddy. Leave her alone.” He said as he pried his friend away from the angered albino. In the end he got kicked in the shoulder when he got a little too close, slightly loosing his center of gravity and almost stepped of the tree branch with Taiju in tow, but Senku didn’t seem the least bit sorry about it. She just gave them both unamused glares. “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

”No.”

He sighed. “Of course not, it’s not like it was your fault Taiju and I almost fell off the tree or the reason I got a huge shoe print on my shoulder.” Kiyoshi said in his most sarcastic voice, earning him an eye roll from the girl. It wasn’t important. What’s important is getting Taiju to stop his waterworks and explain the situation.

”He is even worst than you when he cries.” The blue haired boy could only nod in agreement. When Taiju gets emotional it’s hard to get him back to his senses.

“Taiju, stop crying. You need to listen.” Kiyoshi shook him by the shoulders, hard.

“As of today, it is October 5th, in the year 5738 AD. How long you plan on sleeping in, huh?” Senku quickly climbed down the tree, Kiyoshi having to drag an overly-joyous Taiju down with him. The boy had too much energy to be considered normal. “We’ve been awake and working for over half a year now.”

“...Huh? How do you know... so precisely... what the date is...?” Kiyoshi already knew the answer. It was practically inhuman. But Kiyoshi was more impressed than anything else, for someone to do something like that without having other thoughts intruding takes a lot of dedication. Something told him that Senku knew, that one day if she kept waiting and counting she’ll be free. He wonders what else Senku knew, he never truly understood what goes on in her mind, but these circumstances made her more intriguing than ever. She was such an enigma, he loves it.

”Huh? I just counted. As if there’s any other way of keeping track?”

“So then...inside that darkness... The whole time...all that time...” Taiju couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Senku has always been smart and thought logically for every action she took. Yet this feat was practically impossible for a human being, but she still somehow had achieved it.

Senku explained the reason why she had counted the entire time while she was trapped in stone as the three made their way back to Kiyoshi and Senku’s base. The petit girl told Taiju everything, about her plan to wake up in spring to be able to procure food and water, why she had to ensure she did not wake up in winter or she would’ve died, this the necessity of requiring a calendar.

”Wait, so are you still counting as of today?” Taiju asked.

”Of course. But it’s easier now that I can use the sun, stars and moon to pinpoint the time. Or I just steal Kiyoshi’s armillary sphere when he’s asleep.”

“WHAT?!” Taiju took a small step away from Kiyoshi at that moment. He knew how much that ring meant to the blue haired boy, he was really defensive about it. The ring was actually a foldable armillary sphere, a tool used to measure time by spinning the multiple rings to align it with the stars, moon and sun. Kiyoshi was never the type of person to fight or intentionally harm others, but he was an extremely good fighter. Taiju only saw him fought once in his lifetime, they were middle schoolers then, and that was more than enough to understand why he refuse to ever fight again. The source of the conflict was centered around that armillary sphere. “Senku! How could you?!”

”Sorry, but I was careful. I swear.” Based on how red the boy’s face was, it was obvious he was the least bit satisfied with her reasoning, if you can call it a reason. 

“We’ll talk about it later.” Kiyoshi put his foot down. The words were final and left no room for negotiations, Senku understood that. If they weren’t friends, he would’ve already lost it. The rest of the walk back was silent. Taiju didn’t dare say anything more, Senku knew that if she said anything the mood would only worsen, so she planned to stay quiet unless it was necessary or until Kiyoshi cool down.

”Hey. We’re here.” Taiju looked up in awe at the makeshift shelter and the scarce resources collect. “Don’t just stand around gawking, get your ass over here and help out.”

”Kiyoshi... Senku... You made all this from zero...”

”I did most work on the shelter. Senku was responsible for the pottery and food supplies.” Kiyoshi walked up to the little cabin on the tree, approaching the shoddy ladder and climbed up. He look down from there at Taiju and Senku. “It’s not much, but it was enough. We’ll have to expand a little now that you’re here too.”

”We haven’t had enough manpower. It took up an entire day to just drawing up life and survival plans on my own. Kiyoshi waking up early helped things move a little quicker, but it is still far too slow.” Senku climbed up to the treehouse with Kiyoshi, the boy offering a hand to help her up. She felt the grip was a little tighter than one would normally expect from Kiyoshi, he was still upset with her. The look in those teal eyes showed the amount of contempt he held at the moment, despite trying to push it aside and continuing to help like a good friend would. “To progress forward into some kind of civilization from here... An idiot full of strength and endurance is vital to my plans. Kiyoshi is too soft emotionally. And I needed someone who can do simple tasks without question.” She felt a pair of eyes drilling holes into the back of her head. Senku ignores it, she’ll deal with him later, and continued to speak with the same level arrogant and intelligence, with hints of trust, as she address the new addition to their party. “We’ve been waiting for you all this time, Taiju. Because I was 10 billion percent sure that you were still alive! YOU DECIDED TO TELL YUZURIHA HOW YOU FEEL. AND I KNEW THAT IF NOTHING ELSE, AFTER BEING CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAN’S RESOLVE, YOU WEREN’T SO BALL-LESS THAT YOU’D GIVE UP AND THROW IN THE TOWEL AFTER A FEW MEASLY THOUSAND YEARS!”

”Yeah...! YOU’RE GODDAMNED RIGHT!”

It was a good thing the two were so distracted with their exchange, neither of the two noticed Kiyoshi anger had already faded. The ring was important to him, but these two and Yuzuriha are his world. He could pretend to still be mad, but one look at their passion and determination had him smiling fondly. How did he get so lucky? To have become friends like them, one with unmatched wits and the other with unmatched compassion, he was truly blessed. It was best to let go of his anger for now, but Senku still needs a good talking to.

”If you two are done with your speeches, I’m gonna go get started on renovating the house.” He went inside to get the necessary materials, the sooner he starts the better. “Taiju, we have limited material, so I’m going to need you to halo me gather construction materials.”

”Yeah! JUST LEAVE IT TO ME!!”

🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎

“WHOOOAAA! This means that somebody other than me, Kiyoshi and Senku survived, right?!” Taiju exclaimed in surprise and elation at the possibility that there may be others beside the three of them out there. “Someone must’ve left it here!”

”Yeah. I told Kiyoshi to leave that there, moron.”

”YOUUU?!!” His excitement depleted at the realisation, there really was no one other than them left. Taiju felt his heart dropped a little, he already knew that it was impossible, but a part of him had been hopeful that there’s a chance. “Yeah... There really aren’t...any other humans left in the world!”

”Repopulating humanity! That is our most important task right now. You really thinks there’s any future for humanity with just two dudes and a girl just lazing it up out here?” Senku walked into the cave and approached a pile of stone fragments left behind when the petrification was broken.

”You got a point!”

”And besides, after 3700 years passed... What was the reason that we broke free of our petrification?” Taiju contemplated on the question. He seemed to have gotten an idea after a moment passed.

”Maybe the stone went bad.” The girl looked at him incredulously. The brown haired boy wasn’t wrong, not entirely, just his choice of words were a bit off. It was the part that he figured it out that was disbelieving.

”Mmm... If we were to say that this mysterious mineral eroded... Kukuku...then it’s even strange, isn’t it, that the three of us broke at almost the same time?” Senku’s grin in an almost maniac manner. It was something she does frequently when she gets overly excited about something, usually science-related stuff. “After 3700 years, Kiyoshi were only a week apart and you followed within half a year apart. This can be no mere coincidence! There has to be a rational, logical reason for it!!” Taiju moves over to her side. He was listening to his friend intently, hanging onto every word, though obviously barely grasping everything that was being said. “Like you, Kiyoshi and I were washed away down near the entrance to the cave as well, but...”

”Wait, Senku, don’t you find it weird that we all ended up on the same place? I mean two of us being at the same place is weird enough, but all three of us, that can’t be a coincidence!” Senku felt her cheeks flushed red. An image of her waking up completely bare in Kiyoshi’s arms flashed before her eyes. That has got to be the most intimate she had ever gotten with a man that was not family. Genius and eccentric as she is, Senku was still a woman.

”Shut up, you oaf! That’s not important!!”

”But...”

”I said it’s not important!! Just listen, ok?!” Taiju nodded. He didn’t understand why she got so mad or why her face was red, perhaps she was feeling under the weather and was cranky because of it. He decided to just shut up, if she’s sick then he shouldn’t give her a headache by being the idiot he knew he is. Senku took multiple deep breaths to calm her heart and regain composure before going back to explaining everything to Taiju. “Look... You see that there dripping down? It’s miracle water, born from the droppings of these bats. Nitric acid.”

”DID YOU SAY NITRIC ACID?!! ER... SO WHAT? SORRY, SENKU... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS.” Taiju said as he chased after Senku who had already walked out of the cave and was heading back to their base.

”I thought I told you already, you great big oaf. Kiyoshi was able to understand in a heartbeat. It’s a lot easier to tell him than you. It’s too much of a pain in the ass to have to try to explain anything to you.” She decided that because of how dense Taiju was, words were no good. She was going to need to give him more visual help.

The two headed back to their base. Once there Senku went to the shack they built for her lab and brought out a stone sparrow. Placing it on a stone, she poured the nitric acid over the statue.

”OHHH! I get it! So if we put this nitric acid on it the stone will go bad, and it’ll come back to life!”

Senku snickered at him. “If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have any problems.” The two watched patiently for the bird to come to life. They waited and waited and waited, after a while the two confirmed that it had failed. “I’ve tried a ridiculous number of times already, using different methods and different materials.” The albino picked up the failed statue and went back into the lab. She placed it on the shelf along with the other failed attempts. “Over and over and over again... But it’s all in the realm of fantasy for now. Are these even minerals? Do they have cells? There’s not even equipment to research with anymore.”

”So then there are things in this world even science can’t explain...!”

”Kukuku... And there it is, the ol’ cliché. That’s why I keep coming up with more hypotheses and experimenting! Science is straightforward and honest.” She then mentioned a need for sake, which struck a chord with Taiju, the boy hanging on to that phrase alone as she began to explain the use of it in making nital. He asked her to repeat herself and Senku explained what nital was, not that the boy could understand any of it, but he still grasp the part about sake and offered to use the grapes he gathered to make vine. The albino was impressed, Taiju was more resourceful than she thought.

”Hey, Senku? Where’s Kiyoshi and when is he coming back?”

”Hah? Oh, I told him to go out and gather some materials, I need to make more pottery.” Senku said, not bothering to lift a hand to help Taiju who was stomping grapes at ridiculous speed. “He should be back sooner or later.”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

”Is that a zebra?”

The blue haired boy stared curiously at the black and white horse. The wild horse looked back at him blankly before moving to join a small herd in the opening up ahead. This was another odd thing Kiyoshi had seen that day. An animal not native to Japan, he could only assume it must be a descendant of a zoo animal. Another odd thing he had noticed lately was the landscape, it was a lot more mountainous than one would normally expect from the country, and lastly, the stars.

The night prior, he had decided to measure the stars and their alignment with his armillary sphere, they were not matching up with his tool whatsoever, as if the heavens had changed. 3700 and so years must’ve changed the position of the island nation, he can’t quite tell how many more about the planet had changed within the times he had been encased in stone, but Japan was now an unfamiliar territory.

”If Senku used my ring like she said, wouldn’t she have noticed the changes? Why didn’t she say anything about it?” The boy contemplated, all while gathering the materials he was asked to collect and putting them all in a basket he carried on his back. “Unless she didn’t use it for said purpose... But if that’s the case, then what does she need it for? And why tell me when I hadn’t a clue of it?” He was befuddled by the intentions of his female friend. Kiyoshi cared for Senku, but she does have a habit of doing her own things without consulting others. He can’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him.

By the time he had returned to their camp, the boy saw Taiju was busying himself with stomping some purple fluid in a large bowl, Senku was sitting down and watching him nearby. The albino took noticed of the blue-haired boy almost instantly as he got closer to the two.

”Oh, your back! I assume you got the materials.” He nodded and took the basket off his shoulders to place it on the ground. “Great, now we can start making more pottery. When Taiju is finished stomping the grapes, we’ll need to distillate the wine.”

”Wine? What for?”

”We’re going to make nital!” Kiyoshi could only forces a smile. Nital in the Stone Age, sounds impossible, but he was with Senku. Science always finds a way.

”Well, I guess you’re going to attempt the impossible again, huh?”

”Like I told the big oaf, there’s nothing that science can’t explain. The process may be time-consuming, but an answer will appear eventually.” She spoke proudly. When it comes to science, Kiyoshi knows that Senku never backs down, it was truly an admirable trait. Determined to seek the truth of their world, despite the billions of unanswered questions. He can only smile, even if he’s not sure where his own life is heading towards, being around Senku always makes him believe he’ll find an answer someday. Not that he’ll ever let her know that, she’ll just say he was being gross.

”By the way, I noticed some zebras on my way back. I think they may be the offsprings of former zoo animals. We need to be more careful, we don’t know what other wild animals may be out there.”

”Sure, whatever you say. Now help me out. These pots aren’t going to make themselves.”

Kiyoshi moved to help his friends with the manual labour. As they worked tirelessly to get the wine done, the boy kept a watchful eye on their surroundings at all times. He felt an ominous sense of fear and concern. Humans in the world as it is are vulnerable to the natural forces, they were no longer at the top of the food chain. He was paranoid of the possible danger, the boy couldn’t lower his guard for second, it wasn’t an unfamiliar territory, this was how he always felt when he was back home with his father. The desire to survive at all cost, but he didn’t want to survive alone.

Weeks have passed and the three had finally attained wine. Kiyoshi and Taiju were both a little wary with the idea of drinking since they’re still underage, but Senku wasn’t the least bothered, she pointed out that they were already way past 3700 years old, that and the fact that there were no laws to restrict them from doing so. The taste was way off, but Taiju couldn’t really tell the difference. Kiyoshi, having tasted wine before, not of his own volition, could pick up on the low quality of the beverage, but he didn’t know how Senku knew. There was no way she had partook in underage drinking, right? Not that he wanted to know the answer.

The following months, the two boys and girl spent distilling the alcohol. They attempted to depetrify the stone birds, using nital made from ethanol and nitric acid or different ratios. Try after try after try, they always came up empty handed. Until...

”Senku...?” The girl turned to Kiyoshi, her eyes then noticing the feather that she previously poured the test revival fluid onto. She felt her heartbeat picked up in excitement as the stone slowly broken off, revealing the soft and light feather underneath. 

The three moved outside the lab, placing a single stone bird on a rock. Senku made another revival formula of the confirmed ratio and poured it over the statue. Taiju and Kiyoshi stood by in anticipation, brown and teal eyes glued to the stone, waiting to see the fruit of their hard work. The stone started to crack slightly. Kiyoshi felt his breath get caught in his throat. They actually did it, they discovered a way to bring back all of humanity.

”Let me tell you, you morons. There is nothing that science can’t explain.” The girl adresses them confidently, her ruby eyes burning brightly with a passion. They watched as the bird broke free of the encasing stone. It fluttered it’s wings and took the sky. “Searching for a rule to explain that which you can’t understand, the tireless effort that walks that straight and steady path... That is what we call SCIENCE...!!”

”WHHHOOOAAA!!!”

”Incredible!!” Kiyoshi watched in awe at the sparrow as it glides through the air, enjoying its new found freedom. “We actually did it...”

“It’s been a year since I started this experiment and this was after how many dozens...how many hundreds of failed attempts.” The young girl staggered a little as she spoke, clearly exhaustion taking over as the adrenaline had started to run out. Kiyoshi moves over to her side and ease her to sit down on the ground. “In the end, science triumphs over fantasy. Now I’m getting excited...!”

”Forget your excitement for a second, your clearly tired.” Senku could only smirked cockily at the blue haired boy as he watched her with concern. In comparison to him and Taiju, her stamina is pitiful, yet she always managed to push forward for the sake of science. “You too, Taiju.”

“Taiju, we’ve got your grapes to thank for this, so you can at least decide the first person we’re going to save.” The albino exchanges smiles with Kiyoshi, they both already knew the answer. The boy placed a supporting hand on her shoulder, he too couldn’t hold back his obvious excitement. They were finally going to bring back the missing person from their circle, he’s finally going to have all his friends together again. More than 3700 years have past, but they were now all going to be reunited.

“Thank you, Senku!”


	3. A New Ally?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

Kiyoshi hummed peacefully to himself as he trudged through the thick foliage surrounding him. As of the moment their food supplies were running low, it was reasonable since they had only recently entered summer and left winter. There were only a so many plants that were good for eating and the animals were just waking up from hibernation. Now that there was going to be a forth person there was another mouth to feed, but he’s still excited that Yuzuriha was coming back.

”I should hurry, they are probably back already!”

Taiju and Senku has gone without him to awaken Yuzuriha. As much as he wanted to see her again, Kiyoshi volunteered to go gather food instead. He isn’t sure, but he wonders whether they realize that he was purposely distancing himself from them. Maybe Taiju doesn’t, but Senku probably does. He isn’t ready to talk to her just yet, not with the circumstances they are in. He couldn’t afford to show his doubts or lack of trust in Senku now, it was best to leave their talk for later. She has enough on her plate already, they need to rely on each other, personal matters can wait.

Despite all the efforts he made to push the doubts aside, he isn’t sure how long he can keep quiet for. It’s been months, not once did he brought up the ring and his suspicions of Senku keeping a secret. Does she know that he suspects her of hiding information? He hopes not, they can’t afford to have any kind of disputes with each other, bringing back humanity was more important. It was the logical way of thinking, which is what Senku would tell him, so he just needs to trust her until the time is right. Instead he should be worried whether those two were going to be okay on their own, they left for the camphor tree for Yuzuriha, but went there without properly arming themselves. Senku pointed out that it was gonna be a quick trip, so it was unnecessary to bring along too much with them. He couldn’t shake off his anxiety, not after the encounter with the zebras. He’s been feeling watched for the past few months, like they’re being hunted. Against animals with no proper means of defense, a human isn’t going to last, and who knows what kind of predators are lurking in this nature-conquered land.

”They’ll be fine. I’m sure they’ll be fine...” He tried to convince himself as he continued his task of gathering food. “I should try and find some clothing materials too. Yuzuriha is going to need something to wear after all.”

As he walked on, Kiyoshi thought he heard a faint shuffling sound coming from the bushes behind him. The boy reached for his stone knife, but acted as if he had not heard anything at all and just waited for whatever was watching him to make the first move.

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

“WHY DIDN’T WE LISTEN TO KIYOSHI?!!”

”SHUT UP, YOU BIG OAF AND KEEP RUNNING!!”

In their haste, neither of the two had seen the cliff up ahead. Senku and Taiju felt themselves fall fast and crashed even harder. Their pursuers hot on their trail. The fall was both an asset and a hindrance to them. The lions had to take a longer route to get down, but the fall had Taiju crushed beneath his crush’s stone figure. Fortunately he was Taiju, so damage was not as bad as it would’ve on anyone else. Senku had bruised her ankle, but it didn’t matter, neither of the two truly took noticed of their injuries since the need to survive was a higher priority. Their adrenaline helped mask any pain they felt.

“Keep moving!!” Senku stood back up almost instantly, though flinching slightly from the pain. She pulled Taiju back on his feet and two sprinted for their lives. Is nobody curious how these two were able to run away from actual lions? Taiju maybe, but Senku...? Her stamina is practically nonexistent.

”But why have the lions never attacked us until now?”

”Kukuku... If you put yourself in their shoes looking at us, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen bipedal beings.” The albino panted heavily as she ran as fast as she could. The pain was growing unbearable, but living was more important and giving up because of a bruise was irrational.

”Oh, I get it, since there haven’t been any humans, they were being cautious, on the lookout, but it was just a matter of time.” The lovable idiot said as he had to multitask between running, talking, carrying his girl and not becoming lion food. Taiju is a really good guy.

“Our only option is to get back to the camp and utilize the phalanx. Of course, that’s if we make it there.” Her pace had started to slow. Sweat covered her face, obviously she couldn’t last much longer running. Still weird that she lasted this long against lions. “This game’s just barely started, and they’ve already got us in check...!! If we live, Kiyoshi is never going to let us hear the end of this...” She could already picture his scowl when he hears what happened, it’d end up with the overprotective friend routine they were used to.

Senku was stopped in her tracks when a statue of her friend was thrown into her arms. Due to her lack of strength and her small stature, she was even smaller than Yuzuriha, so she struggled to stay standing on two feet.

”SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IS THE FINAL STRONGHOLD OF HUMANITY! YOU ABOVE ALL ELSE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DIE, SENKU!” Senku struggled balancing her friend in her arms. She can’t afford to let Taiju play the hero now. “SO IF IT COMES DOWN TO THIS, I’LL BE YOUR SHIELD...!”

”NO!” Taiju can’t fight, that was a fact, Kiyoshi on the other hand... If only he wasn’t so stubborn and just moved on from one stupid mistake, not that it matters, he wasn’t here to save them. He can’t let Taiju die here. She needed him, they can’t survive without all their combine efforts. If the blockhead doesn’t stop his heroic act now they’ll both be dead meat. Senku told him this, they both knew that ever since elementary school, he hasn’t hit a single person. She was the brains, but that alone won’t make it in this stone world. “If you think about it logically, when it comes time to run, it’s got to be all of us together!”

“...” Taiju looked to his friend. He made a split second decision, cus if he didn’t they’d be dead. “YOU’RE RIGHT!!” He retook hold of Yuzuriha and the two continued to run away back in the direction of their base. As he ran, Taiju remembered something he found that could potentially save them. “Senku! If we can’t get away from them then there’s something we can gamble all in on!”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

Kiyoshi didn’t know how much longer he had to wait. It had felt as though an hour had already passed since he perched himself to the safety of a tree branch to escape the pack of wolves pursuing him. Six wolves were encircling at the foot of the tree, clearly they had not given up on their prey just yet.

The blue haired boy groaned to himself, the situation was becoming more bothersome than ever. Knowing wolves, he’ll be stuck on this tree for far too long before they finally leave him as a lost cause. He gripped the stone knife tightly in his hand, small traces of blood dripped from its rough edge. It was what was left from the first wolf that tried to pounce on him, Kiyoshi got his right arm bitten and was still bleeding from the injury. He had torn off the gems of his pant leg to bandage the cuts. The boy had retaliated to the predator’s attack by stabbing its throat and throwing it off him, it died, but this only resulted in bringing the attention of the rest of its pack. Now here he is, stuck on a tree, his arm was still bleeding badly, the makeshift bandage doing little to help.

”This is going to take a while.”

Teal eyes flared into the numerous pair of yellow eyes, all watching him with hunger and hostility. He currently had two options on how to deal with the problem at hand. First would be to wait for them to leave on their own, but that would take hours. Should Senku and Taiju return to camp and found out he has yet to come back, they’ll start searching for him, which could end up getting them into danger. Second option would be to get down and take care of the wolves himself. The only problem was that it’d be six on one, not to mention he was already injured and only armed with a stone knife, which was rather blunt.

Never taking his gaze off the half a dozen wild dogs, the boy made a decision. Kiyoshi felt his heart accelerated as he slowly stood up and prepared to jump off the tree branch. Knife held tightly in hand. His gaze darkened as his heart was set on the goal in mind.

”Good thing Taiju and Senku aren’t here to see this...”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

”I found him on my first day.” The two approached a statue of a man with long hair, sitting at the foot of a tree. “The Strongest High School Primate... Tsukasa Shishiou...!!” Taiju turned to Yuzuriha and began to apologize to her for not using the revival fluid on her.

”Just hurry up and pour this stuff on him already, you great big oaf!” She pushed the jug into Taiju’s hands and he doused it over the man just as the lion closed in on them.

”OH, SHIT!! WE ARE SURROUNDED...!!”

As the lions started to close in and encircle them, there was a noticeable cracking sound coming from the large statue behind them. The stone statue of the strongest primate was falling apart, specifically over his face.

”SORRY! For waking you after thousand of years into a situation you know nothing about...” Taiju addressed the man as soon as he acknowledged his consciousness. 

The man opened his eyes and spiked through the cracked stone covering his face. “What’s the current situation?” Ruby eyes locked on to the newly awakened amber ones, as if they could read each other’s minds, Senku understood in a heartbeat what she needed to do now.

“Your entire body is surrounded by some kind of mineral substance. We’re surrounded by a pack of lions from 9:00 to 2:00.” She spoke clearly and calmly as she assessed their situation.

”Okay.” Tsukasa instantly broke off the stone, sending a barrage of them hurling in the direction of the lions and, unfortunately, Taiju. Senku had dropped to the ground as soon as Tsukasa made his move. (Seriously do these two share a portion of their brains? They understand each other way too clearly. I mean later in the story...)

Tsukasa ran up to an approaching lion and single punch it into a tree. The big cat was sent crashing into the wooden trunk before falling down to the ground with a thud, unmoving and lifeless. The two friends stared in shock as they had just witnessed a man so strong, he punched a lion to death with one strike. After sending the danger that the new threat poses, the remaining lions turned tail and ran off.

”As for what’s going on, you can take your time in filling me in on the details, but I promised you one thing!” Tsukasa walked over to the corpse of the lion. “That from now on, no threat or danger will ever again be able to visit upon you... Because from now on they’ll have to tangle with me!!” 

“HEEEELLLLLL YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Taiju was excited. They had a new ally, someone strong enough to defend from danger. The boy kept on going on and on about how cool Tsukasa is. “Wait till he meets Kiyoshi!”

”Kukuku... I suppose so, though at this stage, we don’t have muskets or swords, even.” Senku stared at their new addition warily. “But still, this guy Shishiou, you could almost say he’s too strong.” Apparently Taiju didn’t seem to share the concerns of his female friend.

”THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM BEING TOO STRONG, RIGHT?! IF ANYTHING, IT MAKES HIM ALL THE MORE RELIABLE!!”

“Well, just for example, what if ended up a lust crazed evil emperor? I mean we’re talking about someone that took down a lion with his bare hands.” After hearing Senku’s reasonings, Taiju started to get a picture of the problem they currently have on their hands. An overly-powered man with amazing fighting prowess against two people without any proper weapons for self defense, the winner would be obvious no matter how you look at it.

”W-well...that wouldn’t be good...but if that happens then I’d...”

”Can I borrow some kind of tool to cut this meat? If you don’t have any knives, just a stone one will do.” Tsukasa said as he stroked the main of the dead lion.

”Are you going to eat that lion? Wait! Are lions edible?!” Taiju asked the primate. Senku explained to him that they weren’t poisonous, just tough and reeks of ammonia. “What?! Have you eaten it before, Senku?!”

”Yeah, when I went to Africa to investigate and study Ebola.” Taiju was shocked at this fact he had not known. Senku was no normal high school student, though Taiju himself was also far from normal. Senku just shrugged off Taiju’s statement of her abnormalities, but unintentionally winced in pain when she exerted force on her damaged ankle. The injury seemingly gotten worst due to the continuous running earlier. This didn’t go unnoticed by a pair of amber eyes

”Even if it was to protect us, I still slayed this beast with my own hands,” Tsukasa spoke calmly and clearly. Senku was kind of impressed with his resourcefulness, though she has yet to ignore the underlying sense of caution. The albino knew better than letting her judgement of others be skin-deep. “I want to use every part of it as good and provisions, in order to show gratitude and honor the circle of life. That’s all.”

”OOHH!! WHAT A BADASS!! Hear that? He’s not a sex-crazed dictator overlord after all, Senku!” Senku forced a neutral look onto her face. For now she’ll have to keep her suspicions and concerns to herself. “In fact, he’s a totally decent guy!”

”...I surely hope so. Regardless, I couldn’t give one millimeter of a damn about gratitude and honor. But as far as not wasting meat, I’m all for that.” Taiju didn’t need to know just yet, nor would Kiyoshi once they join back up with him. Senku had no evidence that Tsukasa was trouble, so all she can do was keep an eye out for him.

The two friends stood in silent as they watched the Strongest High School Primate used the knife lent to him to tear through the fallen beast. The man donned the lion skin as a cloak, giving him a strong domineering look that perfectly matches the name lion king. With their new addition donned in proper clothing attire, Senku turned to guide them all back to the base. From the first step alone, the albino winced openly from pain and almost stubbled due to loss of footing.

”Senku! Are you hurt?!” Taiju asked as he was moving to pick up Yuzuriha’s statue.

”I’m fine.” But before she could continue to walk, a hand reached out and grabbed her. The grip was tight, but not enough to inflict pain, just enough to not be loosen should she tried to shake it off. The person that grabbed was Tsukasa Shishiou. “Can I help you?” Her tone dripped with all the sass she could muster. The male was standing quite close to her, leaving barely any space between them, it made Senku feel a little anxious, given that a single punch from this guy killed the king of the jungle.

”You’re hurt. You shouldn’t exert yourself.”

”I told you I’m fine. It’s just a bruise.” Tsukasa didn’t bought the lie, his amber eyes continued to linger down at the small female’s ankle. The shoes hid it well, but there was still a bit of red areas peeking out. From the looks of the swelling, her ankle was sprained, not severely, but could worsen if she does not get it treated. “Can you let go of me already?!”

Senku was getting irritated by his obvious lack of attention to her struggles to get out of his grip. No matter how hard she tugged, the hold didn’t budge. Taiju was too busy handling Yuzuriha, whose statue was being treated with the utmost care, to notice Senku glaring daggers for him to help her. Tsukasa didn’t even noticed that Senku was struggling, it was a pathetic display when he finally looked up and saw what the albino was trying to do. 

The strongest primate gave a soft sigh before smiling softly. In one swift motion, Senku was lifted off her feet and cradled in Tsukasa’s arms. It took the albino a couple of seconds to register what had happened to her, before she gone flush. Senku Ishigami was being carried, bridal-style, in the arms of the Strongest High School Primate, Tsukasa Shishiou. Her pride would not allow her to be treated in such a way.

”Put me down!!”

”No.” Senku tried to push herself. She failed miserably. “Consider it as a thank you for bringing me back. Besides it’s illogical to walk and make your injury worsen, I’m only assuming, but you don’t have any proper medication to treat it, do you?” After hearing his reason, she stopped resisting. It was a rational way of thinking. They really didn’t have any ice or anything to help her ankle get better, all she can do is let it rest. Walking in that state would only escalate the problem to the extent it’s be impossible to recover, not with the lack of medical equipments.

”Fine.” She pouted unintentionally. Tsukasa smiled a little at her hesitant surrender. “The camp is that way.” The albino said as she pointed to the direction of their base.

Tsuaksa carries her the entire walk back. Taiju followed close behind with Yuzuriha in his arms. What they weren’t expecting to see once they reached the camp was the sight of a familiar blue-haired boy resting at the base of their treehouse, he seemed to be sleeping. His arm was visibly bleeding from underneath badly made bandages.

”KIYOSHI!! YOU'RE BLEEDING?!?” Taiju pointed out in distress.

The boy lifted his head in the direction of the voice. He partially relief, partially shocked and partially confused at the scene before him. Kiyoshi was relief to see his friends were able to come back alive, but confused as to who the new guy was and why Yuzuriha was still a statue. And finally he was shocked to see the state he was in. Senku was being carried by the stranger, what could’ve happened to her for that to be necessary and why was Taiju scratched up in some places? He bit his lower lip in worry as he got up from his resting place and approached them. What happened when he wasn’t around?

“Taiju, I’m ok, I just had some troubles when I ran into a pack of wild dogs.” He mouthed the word later to him, a message the spiky haired boy received clearly. “What about you guys are you alright?!” His eyes fell onto Senku’s feet and he saw an area that was turned red and swelling and then saw the lion pelt the new guy was wearing, he started to put two and two together. His face began sweating in alarm at the realization of the situation. “You were attacked by lions?! We need to get you three treated! Are any of you hurt in any way?!” He already knew Senku was, but he needed to confirm the other two as there were no visible injuries he could find. The blue haired boy led them up to the treehouse. Senku was easily carried by Tsukasa all the way up, she was then carefully set down by him on the mat to rest. Yuzuriha was set down at a nearby tree by Taiju before he joined them upstairs.

”Senku, how bad is it?” Kiyoshi knelt down and began examining her ankle. It was swelling slightly and bright red in color. “Hold still, we should keep it elevated to drain out any excess fluid. Taiju get me some water and a cloth!” The boy ran to grab the materials immediately and returned to hand it to his friend. Senku blushed when Kiyoshi grabbed her ankle, but didn’t fight because she understood what he was doing. Though she did kick him in the stomach when he lifted her leg a little too high, all three boys nearly caught a glimpse under her skirt. Not that it hurt Kiyoshi, he just let go from surprise. 

“What are you doing?! Pervert!” The Albin grabbed the hem of her feet tunic and pulled down to cover herself. Tsukasa and Taiju immediately turned their faces away, blushing hard. Kiyoshi sighed in annoyance, trying to maintain his cool. He did not have enough patience to deal with Senku’s shyness and the pain from his shoulder all at once, but he endured.

”We need to keep it elevated above your heart. You know this, don’t you Senku?” His time was the type one would use to explain things to a child. Senku felt insulted and resisted the urge to kick the boy with her other leg again. Kiyoshi simply ignored her glares and began to dab her ankle with a wet cloth before wrapping it with a dry one. “That should stop the swelling, but you shouldn’t use it for a while and rest. I suggest you keep it elevated as often as you can, especially at night.” He smiled, appreciating his handiwork. As a kid Kiyoshi was already familiar with treating injuries, from minor to major ones, his owns and other’s as well. Especially for his older brother...

”You're quite good.” Kiyoshi looked to face the stranger. He felt as though he should know this man before him. Somebody famous perhaps. Tsukasa quickly picked up on his confusion and answered the question in his head. “Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Tsukasa Shishiou. You can just call me Tsukasa.” He extended a hand out, which Kiyoshi took and gave it a quick shake.

”Kiyoshi Ishikage, but Kiyoshi is fine. I’m the one who handles any construction work and gathering supplies.” Tsukasa was taken aback at this. He remembering hearing that last name from somewhere, but it wasn’t from something good. Kiyoshi noticed the surprise in the primate’s face, he began to grow nervous. The last thing he wanted to think about now was his family. He started to fiddle with his ring unconsciously.

Senku eyed the exchange, fully acknowledging her friend’s distress. ”Family names don’t really mean anything in this world.” Kiyoshi felt himself let out a small breath of relief. Teal eyes locked on to ruby ones, they held a deep gratitude within them. “I’m the sharp-minded Senku, in charge of science. This is the simple-minded Taiju, in charge of physical labour.”

”I’m simple-minded Taiju, please to meet you.” Kiyoshi face-palmed when he heard Taiju roasted himself. “If anything’s on your mind, just go ahead and ask Senku or even Kiyoshi.”

”In that case, I’m all fighting ability... So I’ll be in charge of hunting.”

”Hate to break up this wonderful atmosphere, but what happened to you guys?” Kiyoshi said. In his perspective, if it really was lions they encountered, then how did they survived? Senku especially, there is no way she could outrun a lion, and with a sprained ankle, might as well be dead at this point.

“Fine, sit down and we’ll explain what happened. You’ll also have to tell us what happened to you.” Senku gestured for them to sit down. The three boys moving to sit down in a circle, Tsukasa and Kiyoshi sitting on either side of her and Taiju sat opposite of her. “So what happened was...”


	4. All Of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

Senku didn’t sleep. Like most nights, the albino spent her time staying up, working and theorizing ways to further progress from their current present state to a technological society. Her ruby eyes scanned the interior of the treehouse, all three men were fast asleep, she sat up and eyed a peaceful looking blue haired boy sleeping at the other end of the room, closest to the entrance. Taiju was sleeping next to him, and Tsukasa sleeping by Taiju, leaving her at the back end of the small house. Kiyoshi was keeping his distance from her, more so now that Tsukasa was here. She had tried to be discreet, but he had clearly suspected that not everything she said was the truth.

As silent as she could, the albino tiptoed over to her sleeping, blue-haired friend. Senku struggled to cross over the bodies of both Taiju and Tsukasa to get to Kiyoshi, making sure she does not wake any of them up. Unbeknownst to the girl, she had lightly kicked Tsukasa’s arm as she passed over the large man. The primate woke up calmly, but remained still and pretended to still be asleep. Taiju didn’t budge even though Senku nearly stepped on his face, he just slept like a log.

Once the young scientist reached Kiyoshi, she slowly knelt down and reached out to hold his ring into her hand. Senku worked the ring delicately, unraveling each ring into a tiny armillary sphere. Running a callus finger over the carvings, ruby eyes started to examine the exterior structure of the small accessory. She knew that the armillary sphere was made of platinum, that was what Kiyoshi had told her, but now, it seems that only the outer layer was plated in platinum, though it was rather thick layer even for plating. Apparently acting as a catalyst to the nitric acid for thousands of years had the inner layer began to show itself. There was an unidentifiable material underneath, there was also some form of pattern etched over the material. She couldn’t tell what it was made of or even what it was. Some kind of scientific tool, it no longer seemed to be just an armillary sphere.

”Is this electronic? Some kind of device?” Senku examined it for a closer look, without realizing it, the chain of the necklace tugged Kiyoshi’s neck, startling him awake. 

“W-wah?! Senku?!?” A hand slapped over his mouth before the boy could utter another sound. Senku places a finger over lips in a shushing motion.

”Quiet.” The albino told him in a quiet voice. She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered. “Not here.”

”What? Why?” He forcefully removed her hand off his mouth. “What’s going on, Senku?” Kiyoshi protectively wrapped his hand around the armillary sphere after prying it out of the smaller girl’s hand.

”There are too many ears...” The girl’s eyes nervously roamed to check on the other two, they appeared to still be asleep. She breathe a sigh of relief. “Can we do this some other time...? Please...” But Kiyoshi was having none of that, he placed a hand on her shoulders a tight squeeze. Senku felt annoyed, the few things she and the boy had in common was that they’re stubborn and won’t let go of the chance to gain information so easily. He had been surprisingly patient with her, but the longer she kept quiet, the more suspicious she was being. Senku knows something and was withholding it from everyone else, Kiyoshi didn’t like that.

”You. Me. Talk. Outside. Now!” He spoke in a quiet, angry shout tone. Senku knew that she wasn’t getting out of this that easily. As the two left the hut and descended down from the tree, Tsukasa sat up and stared at where the two previously were. The brown haired man moved to the edge of the doorway, amber eyes observed the duo standing down on the ground.

”Senku.”

”Kiyoshi...” The girl sat down on the dirt, watching Kiyoshi father some firewood to light a fire. “Please keep your voice down.”

”Why?! What are you hiding?” Kiyoshi took several breaths to try and calm himself down. “Senku, is everything okay? You’ve been keeping secrets.”

”Am I that obvious?” He nodded his head. 

“How am I suppose to trust you if you insist on hiding stuff from me, much less call you a friend?” Kiyoshi refused to look her in the eye. “Did you think that telling me that you sometimes use my armillary sphere would lighten the blow for when I find out the truth? You know, when people confess to doing things they shouldn’t they usually stop there after. To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.”

”I had my reasons. But knowing you, I would need proof if you were ever going to believe me...” Senku nervously cracked her neck, a bad attempt to show her “lack of concern” for the topic they were discussing. 

“I thought I knew you, I guess I was wrong...” This wasn’t how friends were supposed to behave. They don’t take from each other, much less steal. Their situation isn’t something to laugh at, and yet Senku was being secretive. They need to rely on each other, but Kiyoshi can’t rely on things he doesn’t know of. “If you want me to trust you, I need you to give me a reason why I should.” He stood up and walked over to the petite girl, staring her right in the eyes. She could see just how scared and hurt he was right now, like a kicked puppy. It was the face she often teased him about. The way someone with his tall stature and well-built physique could look so harmless, pitiful even always amused her. But now it made her chest hurt. They’ve been friends for so long, and now when they should be trusting each other the most, there was a rift growing between them.

Kiyoshi and Taiju were similar in certain ways, but the two are also incredibly different. Both boys are strong but refuses to act out violently. They both were there to stand up for her when she was bullied for being a nerd during that fateful meeting where the three became friends. But unlike Taiju, who was happy-go-lucky and trusting in people’s good nature, Kiyoshi is more passive and emotionally empathetic. The blue-haired boy always seek to find a deeper understanding with people around him, keeping his distance was his way to show that he actually disapprove of someone but didn’t have the heart to say it. So now, he was disproving of Senku, someone he had been together with for years.

”Would you believe me? If I tell you what is on my mind, would you stop trying to doubt me and believe that I’m only doing this because I need to...?” Kiyoshi looked to her. There was a moment of silence shared between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, the silence was like they had mutually come to an agreement with just the look in their eyes alone. “I want to bring everyone back, all of humanity, you know this. But I still have yet to figure out what caused this to happen to begin with. We don’t know what started this and can only move forward by using the miracle fluid to save everyone. Time is of the essence. Who’s to say that that light that started all this won’t happen again?”

”Maybe... I’ll admit that I have been dreading the thought that what happened 3700 years ago could repeat itself. We pretty much lost centuries of progress, and there’s no guarantee that we’d wake up from the second one the same way we did this time.” The boy fiddled with his ring, folding each parts back into the armillary sphere. It was pretty damaged, most of the carvings were unreadable, but he had already memorized the details long long ago. 

“Exactly, we lost everything, but not you... You don’t find it strange that something like your ring, as small and delicate as it is, had somehow survived 3700 years of who knows what? It was supposed to be a platinum ring, yet I saw something, almost electronic underneath the layer of platinum. I’m not even sure what it’s made of or what it is exactly.” Kiyoshi paused in his action, hand cradling the ring almost protectively. It was the most important thing to him, so he had never once looked to it with doubt or any negative light. To him it was a symbol of faith and hope. Yet what Senku was saying made sense. Was everything he knew a lie? “I was afraid you’d reacted this way, so yes I lied about using it to measure time. I didn’t think you would easily accept my suspicions and harsh judgment of it, but I’m only making rational theories here. Can you accept it when I say, your precious ring holds more secrets than you think?” Senku prepared herself for what’s to follow. She expected he get mad and scold her or stormed away, but what she didn’t expect was for a warm hand to pat her on the head. 

Kiyoshi petted the soft white locks of hair, ruffling it in a playful manner. “Thank you, for telling me the truth. That’s all I wanted.” He stood up and turned to the ladder, preparing to return to rest. “As for what you just told me, I’ll keep it in mind. Just make sure you tell me, even if there are no solid proof, I think I know you well enough to know that you are a logical person and you won’t lie about science.”

”Kukuku... I don’t have to, science never lie.” The two smiled at each other. They had finally cleared the hurdle between their friendship, though there are now more questions Kiyoshi had, for his past and for Senku, he can at the very least rest easy knowing Senku would always have his back. “Kiyoshi, you’re a good guy, I just want you to know that you can always trust me... At least trust science...”

”Sure, why not? We’ll figure out this little mystery together, but not right now. Now we should be getting some sleep and rest.” The boy grabbed the albino girl’s hand and pulled her to his side. Kiyoshi waited for Senku to ascend up to the treehouse first before following her up. They were greeted with the sight of their two remaining allies still fast asleep.

”Hey, keep this between us for now.” The boy gave the girl a raised brow. He was sure this would have little impact on Taiju, this kind of information to that boy would only confused him further. Kiyoshi didn’t believe that having Taiju know was a problem nor did he think that Senku would disagree with that logic, so the if the problem doesn’t lie with Taiju then it must be... “You already noticed, didn’t you?”

Teal eyes landed onto the Strongest High School Primate’s sleeping figure. “Yeah. I assume you have your reasons.” He whispered softly.

”Just in case he does anything... We need to be ready, we need to have an upper hand if a situation arises. So keep your mouth seal involving the thing.”

”I’m not sure if that’s necessary, but I did say I’ll trust you...” The two moves to their respective sleeping spaces. Silently agreeing to not spill the discussion they had to anyone till the time was right. As much as Kiyoshi disapproves of the idea of keeping secrets from Taiju, he knew better than to tell decisive intel to the boy that would run his mouth more than he seems to realize. And he’ll be keeping a closer watch on their new ally, just in case Tsukasa turns against them. Still he couldn’t shake off an odd feeling, like there was no point in keeping the secret, like he and Senku were already caught red handed. Even so the boy shut his eyes and pushed down his doubts.

As the night drifts along, both Senku and Kiyoshi were able to be lulled back to a peaceful sleep. Yet out of the four, there was one person who was still awake. Tsukasa opened his eyes, he was waiting for them to fall asleep, he had heard everything the two friends were discussing. The man was able to piece together the jest of things, but it didn’t seem to hold much relevance to him. What he did found useful was that he could confirm that Senku was on guard with him and now Kiyoshi may be too. He has yet to figure out how Taiju and Senku were able to bring him back, and he doubts the young scientist is planning to reveal that little bit of information.

Turning to his side, the primate reached a hand over to the sleeping albino and pushed back a strand of white-green ombre hair from her face. Tsukasa smiled sweetly at Senku, as complicated as it was, Senku greatly interested him.

“Bringing back all of humanity with your science... So that’s your goal?” Tsukasa couldn’t resist letting his hand pressed against the girl’s soft lower lip. Amber eyes gazed at the young scientist with a look of admiration and respect. “Can I somehow change your mind?”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌍

”WHOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!” Taiju watched in awe as Tsukasa emerges from the water, spear pierced through a multitude of fishes at once. The man had created a vortex of water surrounding him, making him appeared to be far above a mere human being.

Tsukasa walked up to the shores, high-fiving Senku as he passed her. Kiyoshi watches with amusement in his eyes, he could see those two were getting on pretty well, despite what Senku claims. He was almost jealous of how they easily clicked together, his first encounters with Senku was a complete mess.

Kiyoshi was pretty shy as a kid so it was a really bad match with Senku’s ambitious and straightforward personality. She intimidated him, but with Tsukasa, Senku can be as opened as she wanted to be and Tsukasa just seemed to more interested in her as she does so. The only problem he can deduce here was that Senku was not being fully opened with him, otherwise he would have assumed they were a couple. Yet for some reason, Kiyoshi couldn’t stop the desire for that day to never happen, maybe he was just being overprotective of his friend. He had been like that on many accounts, even he would admit he was awfully clingy of Taiju, Senku and Yuzuriha. Life just felt incomplete without even one of them. Those 3700 years he waited, the thoughts of them was what kept him up. Now watching them interact with Tsukasa so casually, especially Senku, was it because they were still missing Yuzuriha? Was that why he didn’t like what he was seeing? The picture was still incomplete.

”Kiyoshi, get your ass over here and help!” The boy broke out of his stupor and headed over to the girl. He knelt down beside her and started to set up the fishes Tsukasa caught while Senku works on getting a fire started.

”Ooh, I see!! We grill them as soon as we catch them! That way even without a fridge, they won’t go bad!” Taiju deduced. 

“Taiju, buddy. Even grill food goes bad. That’s not how these things work.” The blue haired boy tried to explain. He would assume that all food goes bad over time be common sense, but apparently that doesn’t apply to everyone. Still, even if Taiju excepts himself as an idiot, Kiyoshi didn’t have the heart to say it to his face.

”I’m not grilling them. By using the aldéhydes of the smoke, I’m killing off the microbes in the fish.” Amber and teal eyes looked at the albino girl with awe and respect. No matter what happens, they could definitely depend on Senku to come up with something. She already found a way to preserve food longer. “But to put it in a way that even your simple mind can understand, I’m smoking them.” Kiyoshi really wish Taiju stop letting Senku insulting him so blatantly and stand up for himself, even if Senku is only joking, she never really stops once started. Ironic coming from the guy who couldn’t say no to Taiju simply because they’re friends.

”With Senku and me working together, we won’t have to worry about food preservation.” Tsukasa stayed confidently.

“I guess we won’t have to worry too much about supplies for when winter comes.” Kiyoshi turned to Senku. “So what now?”

”Well now, we’ve taken our first step towards civilization.”

”Wait, does that mean we were still at zero?” Taiju asked.

”So first was food and supplies. What’s the next step?” The blue haired boy was speaking to Senku, but he felt that there was something staring at the back of his head. Out of the corner of his eyes he could somewhat make out Tsukasa smiling at him. It was a little unnerving. Senku said to be on guard in case he turns against them, but the boy had still found no reason to cast doubt on the primate. He still couldn’t help but feel like Tsukasa was scheming something, and he was the target.

“And now it’s time for a fun little quiz. If we want a scientific civilization... What’s the most important thing we need first? The correct answer gets ten billion points.” The boy’s thought long and hard, specially Taiju. He made a really focused face, his conclusion was that it had to be something techie.

“SMARTPHONES!” Kiyoshi and Tsukasa were dumbfounded at his response. There was no way they could get from their state of living to making smartphones. The two mentally agreed that it wasn’t possible and would take too long.

”Oh yeah! Smartphones! I’d love a smartphone!” Kiyoshi plugged his ears. The blue haired boy prepared himself for the outburst he knew would come. “HOW MANY MILLION OF FUCKING YEARS ARE YOU WARPING FORWARD IN TIME, STUPID OAF?! IF WEREN'T ALREADY IN THE GODDAMNED STONE AGE, THAT MORONIC ANSWER OF YOURS WOULD HAVE BEEN DUMB ENOUGH TO SEND US HERE! EVEN TSUKASA AND KIYOSHI HAVE GONE 10 SHADES PALER THAN THEY ALREADY ARE!!” 

The two boys briefly exchanged nervous looks between them. Neither Tsukasa nor Kiyoshi wanted to say anything now that Senku was acting like a craze psycho. Eventually Tsukasa found the will to speak up.

”Is it iron...?” 

The young scientist calmed down almost instantly. “We do need iron, but that’s still a ways ahead. What we need first is something even more useful.” She then faced Kiyoshi. “What’s your answer?” 

“Uhhh... Carbon, maybe...?”

”Kukuku... Close, but no. What we need, is calcium carbonate!”

”I see! As usual, I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about!” Taiju exclaimed excitedly. Even though he was absolutely clueless of what is being asked for.

”You mean lime?” Tsukasa asked Senku. She explained that it was the same stuff used to draw the white lines on sport fields.

Taiju suggested they had to look for a gym or PE warehouse and Kiyoshi plugged his ears once more, internally apologizing to Taiju for not being able to save him from the screaming banshee. Tsukasa turned pale at her outburst, he didn’t know what to say either. In the end, the girl explained that seashells would be fine, and all that was needed were for them to be crushed.

”ALRIGHT!! IF ITS PHYSICAL LABOUR, I’M IN CHARGE! JUST LEAVE IT TO ME!” They watched as the spiky haired boy dashed down the shores, gathering any shell he could get his hands on and emptying them into the basket on his back.

”Kukuku... There’s nothing that excites me quite like calcium carbonate.”

”Why? You masturbate to it or something?” Kiyoshi said playfully. He immediately raised his hand in surrender when he saw the look Senku was giving him. It reminded the boy of angry chipmunk, though an angry chipmunk would pose more of a threat than Senku could ever hoped to be. “Kidding! I’m kidding!” She puffed her cheeks in anger and turned away from him.

”It has four uses so important, our very lives depend on it.” Senku pointes her thumb at where Taiju was busying himself with collecting shells. “Get to work you two! We have a long road ahead of us!”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

”Kiyoshi, can I ask you something?” The addressed boy stopped what he was doing and acknowledged the primate.

”Yeah?” It was only him and Tsukasa at the camp. Senku was busy building something Kiyoshi couldn’t properly identify elsewhere and Taiju was still collecting shells at the beach. “Something on your mind?” Now that he thought about it, Tsukasa had been watching him for quite some time. He remembered Senku told him to keep his guards up and his lips sealed if word of the miracle fluid ever arises from the man. Still, Tsukasa has done nothing to be dubbed as hostile, Kiyoshi couldn’t hate him when he was such a nice guy. 

“You said your last name was Ishikage, right?” He stiffened. That was the last thing he would ever want to talk about, not just because Tsukasa was a stranger, he simply hated that topic as a whole.

”Yeah... What of it...?”

”As in Ishikage, the notorious yakuza group?” He felt his throat run dry, blood turn cold and his mind slipping between breaking down in tears and openly lashing out. The boy was afraid to say anymore, he feared he would choke on his own words. “Your family is the head an infamous crime organization...” 

“Y-yes...” His hands were clenched tightly into fists, so hard he nearly drew blood. His back was turned to face the primat, he couldn’t see the pair of amber eyes looking at him in sympathy and concern.

”Do you miss them?”

”...”

”...”

”...What...?”


	5. Tsukasa’s Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

“Miss... My family? Why do you ask?” Taking a chance, the boy peered over his shoulder and stared into the depths of predatory, amber eyes. He was confused, there were no signs of menace nor any manner of scheming. All the younger male could see was a look of sympathy and concern. 

“Isn’t there somebody waiting for you? You’re determined to go through with the plan of saving humanity. I can tell, just by how you’d willingly go along with Senku’s instructions even when her actions aren’t properly justified.” Kiyoshi felt himself unconsciously reached for his necklace, this was a trap... It was a trap, right...? How was Tsukasa reading him so easily, did the man saw through his doubts since day one? 

“Well...Taiju acts the exact same way. C-Can’t say my case is anything special.” He fumbled with his words. Lying was not something he was comfortable with, but no matter what the boy couldn’t help but feel trapped by the primate’s words. He’s scared that he knew what the brown-haired man was implying, and that he wouldn’t be able to deny the truth within them. “Friends just trust each other, unconditionally...” 

“...Do you trust her? Do you trust Senku unconditionally?” Tsukasa already knew the truth. There was a rift between those two, they may have started to mend it, but what had happened the night prior, Tsukasa had seen it all, heard every word exchanged. Kiyoshi may had his doubts involving Senku stabilized, but she had opened new doubts for him. He wasn’t sure yet, but his intuition told him that it had something to do with the younger boy’s past. People like Senku are the kind with goals and ambitions, they aren’t easy to convince once they have made up their minds. He’s seen the resolve in those ruby eyes, the way she look at him with a look of discerning, but deep down she had walls of steel built up. Taiju wasn’t hard prey when it comes to mind games, but his faith in his friends are ridiculously strong. He wouldn’t turn on them. Kiyoshi was the only one with doubts, he may have no ill intent, but it’s obvious that he’s holding himself back, in more ways than one.

”...She’s my friend. Who else could I trust?” He regretted those words. It sounded like he only trust her because there was nobody else. Unfortunately Tsukasa could see his emotions clearly through those teal eyes. They wavered even beneath his resilience. “She’s important, and cares about us, like what a family are supposed to do...” 

There was an undertone in those words. It was bitter and pain-filled. Kiyoshi’s expression falling from his natural calm to a far-off look, but he quickly recovered himself. He turned away from the primate, afraid that he’s already said too much.

”But to answer your question, in a way I am waiting for someone truly important to me. The only problem is they have been gone much longer than 3700 years.” His tone dropped to a mere mumble as he reached the end of the sentence. Teal eyes having begun to glaze over, fluid building up from the conflict in his mind and heart. “My family... Can’t say I’m excited to be reunited with him again.”

“You don’t have to be. You don’t have to bring everybody back. Why force yourself to bring back people who will only cause harm to others? You don’t owe them anything.” Kiyoshi went silent. He knew it, Tsukasa was after something. His sugar-coated words hid the ulterior motive well. But what was truly fearful, was that there were truths in his words. The primate has charisma and he knew how to use it. Everything said wasn’t built entirely on ideals, they held hope and reason. And for Kiyoshi, they were a way out, one he had spent years searching for in his childhood, but ultimately gave up when all exits had seemingly closed up. Was he willing to take it now? “If we only bring back the pure, untainted youths, in this stone world, we can create a better society. One that won’t be corrupted by the adults, who only knows how to take from the young who had nothing. There will be no more suffering, a utopia. What do you think, Kiyoshi?”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

“Senku, is everything alright?” Kiyoshi watched as the petite girl entered the treehouse. He had been busy completing spreading the mortar on the exterior of their hut. The boy had sent Taiju to take a break since he had been working all day and deserved a break. 

“Yeah, I’m a hundred percent good.” Senku ignores the boy and went inside to take a short rest. Teal eyes narrowed at the statement. She didn’t seem fine, her choice of words didn’t match her usual 10 billion habit. He began to wonder, did something happen while he was busy working? Senku was working with the calcium carbonate by the fire earlier and Taiju was out looking for even more shells. He himself was working on their house and lab. The only person who was left was Tsukasa, he remembered that the two were with each other earlier. Perhaps Tsukasa said something to her?

The thought of the long-haired man being left alone with Senku unnerved him, especially after what he had proposed to him earlier that day. He didn’t give Tsukasa an answer, simply brushing the whole conversation off as a joke, but even as he had walked away he could feel those piercing amber eyes on his back. What did he say to Senku? Was it the same as what he said to him? Biting his lip, the boy began to wonder what he should do now. He couldn’t lie to himself that the offer was tempting, but was still wrong no matter how he had looked at it. “Maybe I should tell her what happened...” 

“Tell me what?” Senku peered our behind the reed curtains and glared at the boy with tired eyes. “You ask if there’s something wrong with me, but you don’t look a millimeter better.” Kiyoshi stared blankly at her for a moment, nothing slipping off his tongue, then he turned to look around, it was just the two of them. Senku grabbed his shoulder and gave him a light shake, asking if he was okay. He didn’t say anything. Instead he got up and pushed Senku with him back into the house. Kiyoshi moved to the far corner of the small interior and sat down, holding his legs close to his chest. The girl glared at him, he was definitely hesitant. Just when she thought he had come to his senses, Kiyoshi went right back to being a vulnerable, emotional child. Something happened, he always want to see the best in everything, but when he starts noticing the worst, his inner child starts to show. She couldn’t afford having someone being vulnerable now, not in this kind condition. 

“Senku? We’re going to save everyone, that’s what you said.” She nodded, it was obvious, he and Taiju were rather enthusiastic when it was just the three of them when it was first discussed. Yet now Kiyoshi looked as though the idea was similar to someone killing his pet. She had a sneaking suspicion that somebody told him something, Kiyoshi was weak emotionally, a flaw of his for wearing his heart on his sleeves at most times. Couldn’t be Taiju, the oaf was too optimistic. She needs to keep the primate at an even further distance from Kiyoshi than from her. Kiyoshi tends to have a hard time making a decisive decision over important matters, he cannot side with whatever Tsukasa had planned. “Does that mean that we have to bring them back too? Do I have to see that man again?”

Kiyoshi lifted his eyes off the ground when he felt the vibration from the floor, indicating that someone had sat down right in front of him. He gave a weak smile to the annoyed ruby eyes, there was a mix of concern and exasperation swirling in their depths. “Did Tsukasa day something to you?”

”What makes you think that? I’m just asking out of curiosity.”

”You would never bring him up as topic if you weren’t provoked into it. It’s too random for you to talk about a topic you despise so suddenly when you spend more time suppressing them into the back of your mind.” The boy continued to force a smile. His teal bangs fell over his eyes, they fortunately hid the fact that his eyes were glazed over with the threat of spilling tears. Too bad that the quaver in his lips gave Senku all the hints she needed. Honestly he could be such a child, but she couldn’t say that, he had his own reasons. She just need him to keep it together for all their sakes. Besides he’s smart in his own way, he had skills that was vital to her, of course that’s not the real reason she keeps him around, but she’ll never admit it. “So what led to this? You aren’t acting normal.”

”Ironic coming from you, it’s not like you’ve been any better the past couple of months.” He was dodging the question. He should’ve known better that to try and hold something she had already apologized for over her, though the word sorry was never actually been uttered in the conversation. He knew she wanted to put all that behind them, she should have made things clear from the start and he should’ve been cautious with his kindness, but it’s hard to talk much less scold him for leaving himself vulnerable around someone like Tsukasa when he looked like a kicked puppy trying to stand up despite the pain. Kiyoshi bit his lip and tried to recollect himself. This discussion was just bringing them back to where they started, it was pointless. He hated that he had to always remind himself of that, Senku probably think of him as a burden. He needs to get over it, he’ll deal with the hurdles that was his family when the time comes, but not now. Besides, he can’t let personal emotions stop him from doing what is right. The only problem was that Tsukasa’s offered wasn’t entirely wrong. The dilemma really ate him up inside. “Sorry, forget I said anything. I’m just throwing a tantrum again. How do you ever put up with me?”

”I ask myself that everyday. But you are useful. And I need all the manpower I can get.” Kiyoshi was now forcing a smile for a whole different reason. It was never easy being nice to Senku even if they were friends, yet it was what drew him to her. He could be as rude as he wants and she would do the same and neither would ever hold it against the other. “Whatever Tsukasa said to you, you need to let me know. We don’t know him well enough to know his motives.”

”Seems like a good guy though. I can’t find anything wrong with him. Though what he told me was a little suspicious and tempting.” Senku raised a brow at this. “He told me that if I didn’t want to bring back my family I don’t have to, but it didn’t seem like he was talking about me specifically. You think he’s up to something? I still don’t know if someone that nice would really do anything too badly.” He decided to leave out the utopia part, it was for the best. Besides it’s not like anybody would actually believe that something like that was actually possible, right? It was unrealistic to pursue it, not to mention that age does not identify what’s inside a person’s heart. It doesn’t make sense in the long run. Tsukasa was probably just exaggerating.

”Maybe. But being good doesn’t mean he’s completely faultless.” The albino thought back to the last conversation they shared. The way Tsukasa complimented her, she couldn’t deny that he was being honest, but there was more to it than that, though she doesn’t know what. She also didn’t understood why her heart raced when he said it, it was probably fear and predetermined adrenaline building up at the possible danger the man posed. Still the part of her cheeks feeling warm didn’t make any sense whatsoever, so she tried ignored it. It was difficult to get the thought of the man with the long luscious, brown hair and chiseled face and sculpted muscles from her mind. She hated how those honey coated words spilled from his full, soft lips so smoothly, clearly insinuating some sort of hidden message for her ears only. She hated that she can’t stop thinking about it.

“Senku? You okay, you’ve been phasing out for a while now and...you’re blushing?” Senku shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. Touching her cheek, the petite girl could feel a heat that wasn’t there before. It made her irritated for some reason. “By the way, did Tsukasa say anything to you at all? You didn’t look too well earlier.”

“Eh?!” Tsukasa again? She didn’t want to think about the man or what went down when they were alone. Though nothing out of the ordinary happened, Senku just had this strange feeling about it all, one she couldn’t ignore. This was odd for someone who never jumped to conclusions based on gut feeling alone. “Well, he complimented me. The nerve of that guy.” Senku didn’t know why those compliments made her so upset and uneasy. But she knows that she didn’t like feeling this way, it’s irrational. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi was giving her a look that said “That’s it?!”, was it really something to get suspicious over? It wasn’t from his perspective.

”So what did you say when he...complimented you?” Senku never ceases to confuse him. Worst was it’s hard to empathize with her enigmatic views, sometimes it was like she wasn’t even human. Her understanding and reasoning were in level far above his own, so he’d always assume she was right even if he felt skeptical at first.

”I said that he was either a flirt or a schemer. Then I told him to get to the point.” Kiyoshi was dumbstruck, his face can’t even move away from the force smile because he’s so shocked. There is something wrong with Senku. Trust may be risky, but she might be one step too cautious. Is this why she trust Taiju so much, because he’s too stubborn, dumb and loyal to ever turn his back on her? Then what does that make Yuzuriha and him? He was afraid to ask. 

“I see...?” Taking a breath of relief, Kiyoshi looked past Senku and into the dark sky outside the doorway. “They aren’t coming to sleep yet? You think he’s going to say something to Taiju too?”

”Not even a millimeter chance, the big oaf won’t understand anything and Tsukasa’s smart enough to realize that.” Kiyoshi hummed. That’s true, but why was Tsukasa trying to achieve? There’s still many unanswered questions. He tried to get him to abandon the idea of bringing back everyone and tried to ease Senku up. Taiju was the only one of them that wasn’t the least bit suspicious of Tsukasa. “I did left him with Tsukasa though. He might try something.” 

“Yeah, we should check to make sure.” Kiyoshi stood up and headed for the entrance. “BTW, when are you planning to make the gunpowder? Do we really need that kind of excessive force?” The idea of needing that form of power brought back unpleasant memories to the blue-haired individual, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Senku clicked her tongue. Of course he caught on, Kiyoshi was an A-grade student and dangerous, since normally illegal stuff is within his area of expertise considering his background. Hopefully Tsukasa didn’t figure it out yet. “It’s a contingency plan. Just trust me. You can do that, can’t you?” Kiyoshi said nothing, just smiled and descended down the ladder.

Once he was out of sight, Senku laid out her bedding and lied down. Whenever she closed her eyes she could see a vivid image of the MMA fighter, his smile taunting her. It made her stomach flip in ways she wasn’t familiar to. Senku thought that Kiyoshi was being illogical to let himself be emotionally influenced by the fighter, but now she fears that she’s the one who’s becoming vulnerable due to Tsukasa. She needed to outwit this strange phenomenon quickly, but how? Whenever she had a question about something she would look deeper into it to get a better understanding first, then she’ll be able to reach a suitable conclusion, but why does she feel like looking deeper into Tsukasa will only lead to things she’ll regret? “This is 10 billion percent illogical...”

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

It was stupid to stay behind. It was stupid to leave Kiyoshi and Taiju to work without Tsukasa. It was stupid to let herself be left alone with a man who can kill a lion with a single punch when she was weaker than a little girl. And yet here she was, alone with Tsukasa at the beach, Taiju and Kiyoshi too far to see or hear anything even if she screamed. Maybe being petrified has done some damage to her brain, because the albino was making more and more stupid decisions, strange it only started when Tsukasa joined their party. 

The beautiful man was standing in the shallow waters, a single pink shell in his hand. Amber eyes stared admiringly at it, he spoke to Senku like he was in a world of his own. Underneath her cool and dismissive frown, Senku felt her insides twist and turn with every word the fighter spoke. “This stone world is freedom. These shells’ were never anyone’s property to begin with. Not the sea’s, not the earth’s.” His voice morphed every word into pure poetry. But as those mesmerizing eyes met her owns, Senku couldn’t stop herself from picturing an invisible maelstrom brewing in the abysmal orbs. “Long ago, a poor young boy thought he’d make a necklace out of shells for his sister who was going through surgery. His little sister loved mermaids. That’s when a man like that statue over there showed up. A middle-aged man who had the fishing rights for that region. A middle-aged man who reeked of booze.”

The girl watched as he approached a statue of said man. His eyes was warm and gentle, truly displaying his good nature as a person. She won’t be fooled, Senku could feel it, the storm that was forming overhead, she knew she had been right to keep her distance with this man.

”He saw the boy who was collecting those shells or as the man had put it, the boy who stole those shells and beat him till his face was unrecognizable.” Senku felt her body tensed, but she remained unmoved and kept her face passive to the story she was being fed. “In the end he wasn’t able to give them to his sister, he wasn’t able to her be that mermaid.”

And that was when it happened, the scene played out so quickly, it took a couple of seconds for Senku to register what she had been made witness to. Tsukasa had smashed the stone statue of the man, shattering it to pieces. Senku’s ruby eyes stared as the stone head rolled over to her feet. She felt her erratic heartbeat pound against her chest. This was worst than what she had anticipated. 

“I’m sure you damn well know, Tsukasa, that you just murdered a human being.” The albino hid her fear behind a confident and pointed tone. But on the inside, she was shaking uncontrollably. If he raised a hand against her, there’s nothing she could do to defend herself. Yet knowing the possibility of such a scenario, she still allowed herself to be left alone with this man.

”Of course, I know. Senku, do you plan to save every last person on this earth, all the way to these rottened-hearted old bastards?” Yeah, she was. Following her logic, there’d be no point in discriminating between people and their deeds, she was not an idealist, she was a scientist. “I’m sure somewhere inside, they have at least some kind of gratitude. And we can bring civilization back, they’ll surely be thankful.” He then went on to talking about how once society that it once was were to return they would prey on the weak and young who had nothing. Senku felt her heart in her throat. The intense look in those amber eyes were no joke, he meant every word of it. It made him sound insane, but just as what could be expected of an extremist, he was not hesitant about making his intentions clear. “This is the stone world. An unsullied, unsoiled, immaculate paradise. By reviving only the pure youth, we can keep living as we are now alongside nature, where nothing belongs to anyone.”

He was close, too close. The tall, imposing mountain of man looked over where her petite frame stood, engulfed by the male’s shadow. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears that it was hard to properly processed Tsukasa’s words. Senku held her hands behind her back, hiding the fact that they shook uncontrollably under the gaze of the idealist before her. All her energy went into keeping her on her feet, standing upright and maintaining a composed expression. It was more than she could bear, so when a large hand suddenly touched her cheek and lifted her chin upwards, Senku thought she was on the verge of entering cardiac arrest. 

“This our chance to purify humanity.” His eyes were hopeful. The way he said “our” seemed to have implied something. Senku mentally kicked herself for being even the slightest bit happy of what it could mean, too bad the rest of her was overly overwhelmed by an undeniable twist in her guts. One wrong move and Kiyoshi and Taiju could come back to finding Tsukasa with a corpse. He had already shown that he wasn’t against killing other humans, statue or not, murder is murder. He was still holding her chin, his thumb lightly rubbing circles on her cheek as he smiled encouraging into her ruby eyes. The gesture was sickeningly sweet, she hated it and the effect it had on her. “Don’t you think so as well? Senku?”

Her lips twitched as Senku forced the muscles in her face to morph her scowl into a cocky smirk. The albino scientist shoved the unease and fear deep down into the back of her mind even as the hammering sound of her beating heart could be felt throughout her entire body, she needed to stand her ground. “No, I don’t. Not even a millimeter. Mecha robots, space, Doreamon... And all the exciting technology that makes those happen... I’m just a young girl who fell in love with that.” With her hand, that she forcefully tried to stop from shaking uncontrollably, though stiff in movement, she lightly swatted Tsukasa’s hand from her face. Ruby eyes watched as the gentle look deteriorated slowly from her statement. “And with the power of science, I’m going to save all of humanity! Every last person!”

Tsukasa was no longer smiling, in fact his face had fallen grim and Senku was on the receiving end of a look that could almost be defined as murderous. The scientist flinched internally when Tsukasa made signs of movement, but eased up when he simply turned away from her to face the open waters. No longer being under his meticulous gaze, the girl felt herself start to sweat, her heart was still speeding at an alarming rate. It couldn’t be helped that if Tsukasa hadn’t woken up then she and Taiju would’ve been killed by lions. She was now in a serious situation and Kiyoshi needs to be informed as soon as possible, Taiju would need more proof to be convinced but he’ll surely have her back when she needs him. Fortunately Tsukasa can’t make any moves due to his desire to revive the young, he can’t do anything until he knows the formula of the revival fluid, which she had no intentions of giving to the man. As long as he does not know about the cave and the miracle fluid, they’re safe.

”WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! WE DID IT!!! SENKU!!! TSUKASA!!!” The girl turned around at the sound of thundering footsteps. So loud it could’ve been mistaken for a stampede. She caught sight of Taiju and Kiyoshi running hastily towards their location. The teal-haired teen seemed to be screaming something, but it came unheard alongside Taiju’s booming voice. “WE’VE SAVED UP ENOUGH MIRACLE FLUID FROM THE CAVES!! NOW WE’LL FINALLY BE ABLE TO SAVE YUZURIHA!!!”

And just like that, their one trump card was thrown out the window. Senku could feel her heart finally stopped racing, because it may have not been beating at all at that very moment. That big oaf’s stupidity was going to be the death of her.


	6. Kiyoshi’s Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

The walk back to base was incredibly uncomfortable, specifically for Senku and Kiyoshi. They could feel Tsukasa’s eyes burning holes in the back of their eyes. The older individual had a calm looked in his eyes, but Senku knew better than that. Her leverage over the primate was now out in the open for him to take advantage of, it’s only a matter of time before Tsukasa discovers the cave of miracles. What’s even more frustrating is that the person responsible for this mess doesn’t even realize what he had done. Taiju was just running ahead of all three of them with joy, it still had not occurred to him that there was a pair of ruby eyes glaring at him. Though it didn’t last, what was she supposed to expect from the big oaf? 

Kiyoshi was mentally sweating bullets. The tensed atmosphere was suffocating, if only he had stopped Taiju sooner. Apparently tackling him right in front of Tsukasa, mere moments after the boy hollered the existence of the revival fluid did not win them any favors with Tsukasa. Not to mention it appeared that something had happened between Senku and the older teen, she looked incredibly pale when he and Taiju got there. He wanted to ask her about it, but it’s not the best decision when the untrustworthy person in question was in such close proximity. 

“There we go, Yuzuriha! At last, this time, I’m really going to set you free!” Taiju spoke emotionally as he adjusted their friend’s statue where she was leaning against a nearby tree.

”What the heck, there’s not even enough here to revive one person.” Kiyoshi raised a brow at Senku’s statement. He was with Taiju when he visited the cave, regretfully not being able to stop the guy from running off and spilling their secrets to the enemy, he knew there was more than enough, possibly even enough for two people. Teal eyes briefly glanced over at Tsukasa’s form, he was busying himself with a shark he had hunted, if that wasn’t intimidating then Kiyoshi doesn’t know what is. He already knew that the cave held an essential part of making the revival fluid, sooner or later the man is going to try to force the recipe from them. The teal-haired boy tried to convince himself that Tsukasa wouldn’t ever go that far, but from the look on Senku’s face when she was alone with him seemed to being saying otherwise. What exactly happened between them?

“WHAT?! GAH! SORRY I WAS SO EXCITED AND IN SUCH A RUSH... I’LL GO BACK AND GET MORE RIGHT NOW!!”

”I don’t want to sit around playing “I spy” with Tsukasa and Kiyoshi waiting for you all day, so hurry up. Full speed ahead, big oaf.”

Taiju didn’t need to be told twice before he took off in a sprint for the miracle cave. The teen didn’t get far as he was stopped in his track by a hand, one that uncoincidenctally belonged to a long-haired man. “Well then, it’d be fastest if I went. So why don’t you tell me where that miracle water is?”

Kiyoshi was about to interject, but shut up when he felt a tug at his shirt. It was Senku, and that smile on her face suggested that she was up to no good, though it seemed force. That could only mean that whatever she had planned wasn’t her usual 10 billion percent certainty. They both stayed back as they watched Taiju told Tsukasa what he wanted to know and left on his way. 

“Is Tsukasa gone?” She spoke casually with a yawn. 

“Yeah, he left right away! And at an incredible speed too...”

Senku immediately sprung into action, tightly holding on to the bottle of nitric acid, heading straight for the lab. “Good! Kiyoshi. Alcohol. Lab. Now!” The boy staggered at first at the sudden instructions but swiftly followed his friend’s rhythm. Taiju was just confused. “Let’s make some revival fluid and Yuzuriha as fast as we can. While Tsukasa’s gone...!”

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE, SENKU?!” The spiky-haired teen followed his two friends into the lab, where Senku was busting herself with mixing the revival formula. He still couldn’t understand what was going on, asking why earlier she had said it wasn’t enough, but Senku merely brushed it off as an impossibility as she wouldn’t have left something that would’ve not gathered enough nitric acid so carelessly. Taiju agreed, but now he wasn’t even more confused why they sent Tsukasa away to get more.

“Yeah, I don’t understand why you did that either.” Kiyoshi added. “I thought we were going to do everything we can to not let him find out about it. Wasn’t that the plan?”

”Wait! PLAN?! WHAT PLAN?!”

”It’s a double-edged bait.” Senku explained. Her hand still furiously stirred the mixture, from how tense her arm was, Kiyoshi could see the fear and panick his white-green-haired friend was feeling. The situation was not in their favor and it’s highly likely that Senku isn’t sure on how to approach things. “Even if it meant him finding out where the cave was... I wanted him away from us before we revived Yuzuriha.”

“I don’t understand. Won’t he know about that once he gets back? Is there a point in sending him away? He knows where to find us.” From Kiyoshi’s perspective, no lie can get pass Tsukasa. He was a very perceptive individual. Right now he knows the secret of the miracle cave, he clearly outmatches both him and Taiju in terms of combat (that and these two pussies aren’t even going to dare throw any punches themselves), meaning there was little he had to gain from their group. They hadn’t anything to offer should he chooses to dispose of them, was bringing back another non-fighter now a good idea? Too bad a part of Kiyoshi kept holding onto the bit of hope that Tsukasa was too nice of a guy to actually hurt anyone, even if all the hints from Senku was screaming at him otherwise. He just wasn’t sure.

”I don’t really get what you’re both saying!! Why would you want to get rid of him, Senku?! He’s a good guy, isn’t he?!” The blue-haired boy nodded in agreement. Taiju may not know everything, but he’s right on the fact that Tsukasa was a good guy. He hasn’t seen the guy do anything worth being identified as a bad person for, did Senku?

The albino gave a frustrated chuckle. “You both really can’t keep up, can you?” Her mind wandered back to the moment on the beach. The horror that she witnessed, but needed to maintain face, pretended that what was happening barely had any impact on her mentality, in truth in struck her down to her core. When Tsukasa made his offer, she needn’t think anymore, her final decision was made. Despite the odds, the fear of potentially being the man’s enemy, someone he needed to stop, maybe even permanently get rid of, Senku only have one answer, one she intended to follow no matter the cost. “I haven’t even a single millimeter of interest in his grandiose dreams of the strongest, ultimate world. Kukuku... What excites me is this real life game of civilization.”

”Tsukasa’s dreams...? Oh... That...” Senku narrowed ruby eyes at Kiyoshi’s hesitant response. This behavior of his could either make or break her plans for civilization. The cogs in her head were spinning, thinking of some kind of solution that would result in all of them walking out unscathed. It was only a matter of time before Tsukasa returns. Kiyoshi can’t side with him, she needed him. 

Taiju was starting to put the puzzle pieces together, somewhat. Tsukasa may not be what he originally thought. Well, he’s aware that he’s not the brightest of the group. But these two people...he trust more than himself. “I got it! I don’t need any explanation. Senku, if you say it, then it must be so. Something must’ve happened! While we weren’t here!!”

”Yes. Tsukasa Shishio... Good guy, he may be... Is a murdere...!” She watched with a hint of amusement as the color drained from the boys’ faces.

🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎

Kiyoshi watched on in anticipation as Senku dumped the revival fluid over Yuzuriha. Taiju was freaking out over how indelicate she was handling Yuzuriha. She didn’t care, they were in a time of crisis, she in particular is in the utter most dangerous spot. If things go down as she predicts it to be, her head may be on the line. After a second passed by, no cracks were formed, much to Taiju’s chagrin. He started panicking and asking his companions whether something went wrong and if everything was going to be okay. Kiyoshi gave him a weak smile and told him to be a little patient. 

“The reaction takes time. This is a kind of cold sleep.” Senku began explaining how the whole process of the petrification had drawn out metallic elements to preserved the mysterious stone form. Both boys just looked at her in complete confusion. “Well, that’s just my hypothesis. But I’ve spent almost the entire last year testing it. And it seems that if nital seeps into even part of that membrane and breaks through it...” Kiyoshi’s ears twitched when he heard a faint cracking sound. All eyes fell on Yuzuriha. “...that it causes a cascade reaction and spread across the entire body.”

”THE PETRIFICATION IS BECOMING UNDONE...!!” Holding out his arms, Taiju fell to his knee, catching the newly freed maiden in his arms. Bits and pieces of stone shattered away, revealing their very much alive friend for many years. The spiky-haired teen felt tears prick his eyes. 3700 years, he waited all that time, told himself to never fall asleep, to wait for the day he would tell her how he truly felt. Seeing her stone statue that day he had awoken broke his heart, but he held onto the hope that she was still there and that he will undoubtedly save her, no matter how long it will take. Now she was finally free, Yuzuriha has been saved.

Senku watched as her dumb friend cried tears of joy and relief over Yuzuriha. The awoken girl smiling and expressing her gratitude as well as her faith in him. Yuzuriha knew Taiju was the one who saved her, she didn’t need any explanation, she knew the answer in her heart, even as Taiju admitted that it was all Senku. A solemn and empathetic look in her ruby eyes, Senku exchanged glances with her female friend, a soft smirk framed itself on her lips. These two were so obviously in love, furthermore they were meant to be, even if she didn’t believe in the whole soulmates fantasy, these two were perfect for each other. Out of the corner of her eyes, the albino could see Kiyoshi furiously wiping away his own tears. Strange, he didn’t cry this hard when he was reunited with her, it made her question if Kiyoshi valued the bond he had with Yuzuriha above her’s. She didn’t like that thought very much, but there was no time for such nonsense right now.

“Kukuku, Sorry to break up your touching reunion, but before Tsukasa comes back we need to decide something immediately.” She held up her fingers in a two. “There are only two paths to choose from. Plan A! Kiyoshi, Taiju, Yuzuriha, you three run far away from here and live on, right now! Plan B! We all fight and put a stop to Tsukasa’s murdering. With the power of civilization’s weapons!!” 

There was a brief moment of silence, then... “I’VE GOT MY ANSWER!! OF COURSE WE ARE GONNA FIGHT TOGETHER! DON’T GO MISJUDGING US, SENKU!!” Yuzuriha nodded her head harshly, agreeing with Taiju. 

“I’m not offering this out of the kindness of my heart or anything. It’s just you running away would be the most logical option. Besides, I’m worried Tsukasa may persuade you to join his cause.” She briefly look over to Kiyoshi, who had adverted his eyes to the ground, hand fiddling with the ring hanging around his neck. The teen was being too quiet for her liking.

”Yup. Yup. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’ll help however I can!” Clearly Yuzuriha and Taiju weren’t fully listening to her in their enthusiasm to help. The only rationally-capable person other than herself was also no good at the moment. She needed to get them to listen first and for Kiyoshi to agree to not stray away to the dark side. As Senku tried to get the married couple likeness to listen to her explanation and what she had planned, the teal-eyed boy tensed up. He was on alert instantly, someone was coming, chances were it was the one they were trying to oppose.

”IF TSUKASA IS REALLY DESTROYING STATUES... IF HE’S REALLY KILLING PEOPLE, THEN NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES-“

”I’m not killing just for the sake of killing. It’s simply the solution I arrived at.” The distracted trio turned over in alarm and faced the strongest high school primate with forced calm and caution. “I’m thinning out the population. To create a new world.”

Senku ever so slowly backed away as Tsukasa approached the group, inching herself closer to the many pottery nearby. Her hand hovered readily over one, she could see the resolve in those amber eyes. He wasn’t afraid to show his true colors even in front of Kiyoshi, Taiju and Yuzuriha, meaning he didn’t acknowledge them as a threat. Things couldn’t look any worse for them.

Tsukasa allowed some stone fragments to fall from his hand to the ground. One could clearly see that they were the remains of a petrified person. Kiyoshi but his lip at the sight. There was no blood, no screaming, no pain, no begging for mercy involved with this murder, yet it was still as cruel and wrong as the ones he had been subjected to see whenever he went home. Senku had said he was too dangerous to be trusted, but seeing was believing. He stirred an unsettling burning in his chest, he wanted to vomit, but steeled himself. He could barely register what Taiju started saying to him.

“Kiyoshi, if worst comes to worst, please look after Yuzuriha and Senku. I WILL STOP TSUKASA!!” Before he could voice his objections, Taiju already took off for the older male. Both females were wide-eyed shocked at his rash decision.

Feeling like her options were dwindling, Senku pulled out a crossbow she had hidden away. Her final trump card, which was ultimately useless against the man with god-like combat prowess. He simply caught the projectile and threw it to the ground before he spun around and sent a resonating kick to Taiju’s Head, which the smaller male barely blocked and was sent skidding backwards. The back of his palm that took the blunt of the blow was bruised and smoking. (I swear Tsukasa can not be human.)

”This is the first time any human has taken any of my kicks and not been knocked out. But before I even get to that...” Tsukasa was right that Taiju was absurdly strong and durable, but he didn’t come out of that little scuffle unscathed. The side of his forehead was bleeding, and considering that Tsukasa can kill a fully grown male lion in a single punch, he was clearly holding back. As if Senku needed a reminder of the danger they were facing. “Just now... It wasn’t that you couldn’t attack me, you didn’t have any intent to. Why...?”

”I CANNOT HIT ANOTHER PERSON! BUT YOU CAN HIT ME ALL YOU WANT, I DON’T MIND AT ALL!” The boy recklessly proclaimed, pulling open his tunic to further prove his seriousness. He couldn’t see the three people behind him having a face palm moment. “IN EXCHANGE, I WANT YOU TO STOP BREAKING STATUES, TSUKASA! KILLING PEOPLE IS BAD!!” Kiyoshi was incredibly tempted to tackle him once more. Anything to stop his friend from doing something undeniably foolish. This lovable idiot was going to get himself killed.

Even Tsukasa was struggling to process Taiju’s “proposal”, he tried to clarify the terms. Taiju didn’t seem to realize that for a deal to happen there needed to be an exchange, he just continued to think that hitting him would satisfy Tsukasa, much to Tsukasa, Senku and Kiyoshi’s disbelief. The spiky-haired teen just didn’t seem to back down at all, until Tsukasa threatened to harm Yuzuriha. Taiju responded by rushing to place himself in front of her, shielding Yuzuriha from Tsukasa’s Line of sight. She began to understand why Senku wanted them to run away, she was the perfect hostage for Tsukasa to use against Taiju.

”Taiju...?” Kiyoshi noticed the boy was starting to stagger. A moment later he completely collapsed. “Taiju!!” He and Yuzuriha exclaimed as they moved to his side.

”He’s bleeding pretty badly there. He’s gonna have to sleep it off for a few days.” Senku said casually, too casually. The teal-eyed boy suspected that she was up to something. Possibly, Taiju was alright, he was never the type to give in and kick the bucket this easily anyways.

“Hmmm... I suppose this is where we part ways.” Amber eyes connected with teal ones. “You already know what I’m after. Think about it.” Kiyoshi opened his mouth, about to give a reply, when he felt a tug on his shirt’s sleeve. It was Senku, the way she was looking at him was like she was begging him not to listen, not to leave them. He look between the primate and his friends, from one to the other, he bit his lip, unable to give any answer. He didn’t know what to do at the moment, but deep down he knew his mind was already made up, he just don’t know how to act on it. Turning his attention from Kiyoshi, Tsukasa addressed the fallen Taiju. “Taiju, you protect Yuzuriha. Protect her more than you would a statue of a baby. And me... I’ll do what I need to do. I won’t let anyone or anything stop me.”

He turned and walked away, leaving the group he once was a part of behind. Before he could get too far away, Tsukasa peered over his shoulder, allowing his gaze to lock on a certain albino. The fear and wariness in those ruby eyes said exactly how she was now perceiving him, a dangerous foe and nothing more. Heaving a disappointed sigh, though he couldn’t quite tell if it was to himself or Senku, Tsukasa carried on his way to purge humanity.

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

”We’ve gotta make gunpowder!!” Yuzuriha and Kiyoshi looked to Senku, they knew she was serious. But the idea of gunpowder, does that mean that they going to... Both paled at the possibility of taking such action, even though their choices were limited against the strongest primate, it was still something that can’t be taken back once done. Senku didn’t seemed all that bothered though, rather she looked excited even. “That means, we’re going to be taking one giant warp forward of 1,998,700 years. Get excited!” The girl then pushed aside her two companies and began kicking Taiju, much to their surprise. “Hey! It’s time to set off on our journey to make gunpowder.” 

“Huh?! Didn’t you say Taiju needed days of bed rest...?” Yuzuriha asked in concern.

”Even if he’s ok, you still shouldn’t treat him like that... Even if it’s Taiju, Tsukasa’s kick is not something anyone can easily withstand.” Kiyoshi swiftly pulled Senku a bit away from him, so that she would stop kicking. 

“Against Tsukasa... You’re not going to fold that easily, right big oaf?”

”RIGHT! OF COURSE NOT!!” The teen instantly sprang back onto his feet, fully disregarding the fact that he was bleeding from the head only moments prior. Two out of three of his friends could only watch with exasperation mixed in with concern at his recklessness.

Kiyoshi sighed. At the very least nobody was badly hurt. And even if their situation was dire, it was nice to be back together again, with the three people he cherished the most, the ones he never stopped thinking about all those years whilst petrified. This odd quartet of individuals always made him smile. Yeah, he would never abandon them, even if the world was against him, he will always have his friends. “So, what do we first, Senku?”

”We run away like cowards.”

”...Eh...?!”

🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎

“Wow, to think that even after all this time, something like this would still be here...” Teal eyes stared breathlessly at a familiar masterpiece. It was a soothing remembrance that even though nature had reclaimed the land, it was still the land they call home. The Great Buddha, a national landmark, had never looked so breathtaking than now, in the eyes of modern humans, struggling their way in a world that was reverted millions of years into the past. It showed that even as time went by, humanity’s place on Earth can never truly fade.

Yuzuriha had mutual feelings as he did. The girl was moved to tears, which sent Taiju into a frenzy. He desperately asked who was responsible for making her cry, panicking that it could’ve been because of him. She denied his assumptions.

”I only just woke up today, so it hasn’t hit me until now. Seeing the Great Buddha of Kamakura, it just confirms that this really is Japan and that thousands of years really have passed by. Mom. Dad. Everyone I knew. They’re all...” Her voice quavered as a single tear dripped down her cheek. To lose hope in a world like this could spell the end for them. They were all just kids, but they won’t let their will break, no matter who they’re up against, even Tsukasa. 

“Kukuku... There’s no need to worry, cuz we’re going to beat Tsukasa. And save all of humanity.”

”THAT’S RIGHT, YUZURIHA! THE GREAT BUDDHA HERE SHOWED US THE WAY! HE STOOD HERE FOR THOUSAND OF YEARS. NEVER CORRODING! THANK GOD.” Taiju exclaimed enthusiastically. “EITHER WAY, YOU GET WHAT I’M SAYING!” Too bad he was rebuffed by Senku completely as she explained that it was due to being made of bronze, which is resistance to corrosion. Kiyoshi chuckled at this.

“BUT LOOK! THERE IS NO PLANTS SPROUTING AROUND THE GREAT BUDDHA! THE BIG GUY MADE IT EASIER FOR US TO FIND HIM!!”

”No. The copper ions just seeped into the soil that’s toxic for most vegetation.”

Kiyoshi lightly patted Taiju’s back. “Just give it up, buddy. Senku doesn’t believe in faith.” It was good that Taiju never really lets these kind of things that Senku does get to him. She was probably the kind of person who tell kids that Santa or the tooth fairy doesn’t exist too early on. They were used to it, it was pretty amusing at times. What wasn’t amusing was when Senku attempted to break the statue for the bronze. Taiju tried to stop him from performing an unholy act, Yuzuriha watched dumbstruck and Kiyoshi laughed lightheartedly as he pried Senku away from the statue. Some things will never change.

The group continued on their 80km trek to Hakone. Once night fell, they all settled down for the night, except for Taiju. The teen was on high alert for potential predators and, what they fear most, Tsukasa. 

“Go to bed already. Rest is part of the job, you big oaf!” Senku turned in her sleeping bag. But her words didn’t quite reach Taiju, he genuinely looks scared.

”Taiju?” The boy jumped when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Kiyoshi gave him a heartwarming smile. He had endured more than enough already, he doubted that the injury he received from Tsukasa has even fully healed yet. “How about I keep watch first? We’ll do it in shifts. Get some sleep and I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn. Sounds good?”

“HUH? NO, I CAN DO IT!” Kiyoshi shook his head.

“Keep it down, buddy. We don’t want to draw any attention from wild animals... And, it’s best if I go first, you're already hurt earlier today. Just trust me, okay?” Taiju reluctantly agreed, which made Kiyoshi happy. He smiled at him as he watched his friend enter his sleeping bag, falling asleep almost instantly. It’s good that they were finally asleep. After a long day of thinking, contemplating and weighing his options, Kiyoshi now knew what he needed to do, specifically about Tsukasa’s proposal. It’s time he acted on his decision. 

Peering from beneath her sleeping bag, ruby eyes narrowed at the back of the teal-haired boy. “What are you up to?” She mumbled softly.

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

”KIYOSHI!! WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP?!” The spiky-haired teen yawned before jumping out of his bag and onto his feet. His voice caused the girls to slightly stir in their sleep, but still managed to remain asleep. It was earlier morning and time for the group to continue their trip. Taiju had slept beautifully all night. Kiyoshi lied and didn’t wake him up at all. He was so confused, he never thought Kiyoshi was capable of lying, at least not to him or their friends. What reason would he possibly have to lie? “You didn’t stay up all night, did you...Kiyoshi...?” 

Look back and forth, it occurred to the teen that his male friend was missing. He got up and walked around the area a bit, maybe Kiyoshi went looking for supplies, then surely he wouldn’t have gone far. But after checking the nearby areas, he couldn’t help feeling a little panicked...ok he was freaking out like crazy. There was no sign of his blue-haired friend. Back at their little campsite, Taiju could clearly see that all of Kiyoshi’s load were still there. Where would he go, leaving all his stuff behind?

”SENKU, YUZURIHA, WAKE UP, KIYOSHI IS MISSING!!” The two woke up with a jolt. Their minds still a little fogged up from sleep. “WE NEED TO FIND HIM!! WHAT IF HE IS IN DANGER?!” From Taiju’s words, Yuzuriha grew concern. He was right that their friend was gone. And considering their current dilemma, Kiyoshi isn’t the type of person to just go for a leisurely walk, nor would he leave without giving any notice.

”Oh no! Do you think something happened to him?!” The brown-haired girl messily got up, almost tripping over her own feet. “What do we do?! We need to find him!”

As her friends continued to panick nonstop, Senku slowly sat up in her sleeping bag. In her fist under the covers, the albino tightly gripped a little trinket securely. No doubt, she knew exactly where Kiyoshi was right now. He may already have reached his destination too. Out of the four them, he was the fastest and the sneakiest. There won’t be any tracks for them to follow, not that she intended to anyways. 

“Grab your stuff, Taiju grab Kiyoshi’s share as well. We can’t waste anymore time, there’s still a long way til we get to Hakone.” Senku spoke calmly and casually, like there was nothing about the situation that bothered her. Taiju and Yuzuriha stared at the girl in utter disbelief. 

Yuzuriha grabbed her hand before the albino could walk away. Time wasn’t on their side, but Kiyoshi was more important. Surely, Senku knows that, right? “Wait, Senku, what about Kiyoshi? We can’t just forget him and leave.”

”There’s no point.”

”What?”

”He’s probably miles away from us by now. And even if we could catch up to him, he won’t agree to come along with us.” Senku wriggled her wrist from her and continued to gather her things.

”WHAT ARE YOU SAYING SENKU?!”

Sighing in annoyance, she faced her two anxious companions with a dead serious face. The glare pierced them both heavily, Senku wasn’t joking around about this. “I don’t have time to go into detail, but... Listen well, Kiyoshi has made up his mind. He’s going to Tsukasa’s side. And he’s not coming back...”

🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎

That very same morning, back at the treehouse, Tsukasa had returned. Based on mess left behind, it appeared that Senku and co had ran away in a panic. 

“Or... So they’d like me to think. But why?” Tsukasa was a strong man, but he was equally intelligent. Senku had left many hints behind for him to use, more than she realized. And from what he concludes, she wasn’t the time of person to run away with her tail between her legs. 

If Taiju needed to rest as she had claimed, then there’d be no valid reason to leave in such a hurry. They didn’t run, no, rather they intend to fight back. If it’s Senku, then she would build a weapon of science. The only question now was, where exactly would they go to make it? Thinking back to everything that has happened, to everything that Senku had said, Tsukasa could remember every word of it. He had always been captivated by her immense knowledge, the joy of simply listening to her speak put his heart at ease. There was nothing she told him that he could forget. He remembered it all, and that was what’s going to help him find them. 

“They must be in Hakone! If they make gunpowder, I’ll be at their mercy.”

“You sure picked that up fast. I’m pretty impress.” Tsukasa felt a presence behind him, he responded by sending a strong punch in the person’s direction. His fist collided with a palm and he felt a force pushing it to stop. It was strong, but not strong enough to stop it completely. The person was sent skidding a good distance back. “Calm down, I’m not here to fight you.”

Having a clear look at them, the taller male was able to register their familiar face. It was Kiyoshi. Even though he stated that he wasn’t going to fight, Tsukasa still took up a defensive stance. He never thought Kiyoshi was much of a threat, even though he was physically well built, his character suggested that he would rather make peace than fight. He also appeared to be easily bothered by violence or any display of brutality. The primate remembered just how pale the teen was when he saw the stone fragments they both knew were from a petrified human. Yet, he was able to somewhat defend against Tsukasa’s punch, which not even most MMA fighters could do. From the looks of it, his palm did get bruised up, but it wasn’t that bad. And he successfully snuck up on him when his guard was up. This boy wasn’t as simple as he thought. But what was he doing here? He should’ve been with Senku and the others on their way to Hakone.

”May I ask why you are here then?” There we’re still chances that Kiyoshi was here to stop him, distract him long enough so Senku can make the gunpowder. He couldn’t fully trust him. Whatever the smaller boy was thinking, his eyes showed a clear and absolute conviction.

”Simple. I want to help you purify humanity.”


	7. Death Of A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoshi Ishikage has been friends with Senku, Taiju and Yuzuriha for years, ever since they were kids. Despite coming from a tainted family of crime, Kiyoshi was a pacifist by nature. When all of humanity is trapped in stone, Kiyoshi is freed by his trusted friends, now they must band together to bring the world to its former glory. But with danger standing in their way, how long can he remain true to his pacifist nature?

Did Senku knew something like this was going to happen? Well, not exactly. She didn’t have a clear plan on how to take on Tsukasa if he had reached them before they could finish the gunpowder. Did she realize that Tsukasa would kill her to remove the biggest obstacle in his way? Yes, there was no doubt about that. Regardless of how much they had “bonded” earlier on, the moment he proclaimed his intentions, Senku could clearly see the resolve in his eyes. Was she prepared to die for science?...

Science was always a risk. Considering the countless explosions her experiments had caused, she’s not unfamiliar with the devil’s tango. Yet even with the looming threat of being arrested for illegal and underage/unlicensed activities, high rates of major injuries and possible death, Senku never turned her backs on the prospect of obtaining the answers to questions she held and for the ones she never thought of asking. She was peculiar in that sense, and she was proud of it. It made her who she was, even if most people found her hard to approach.

Now here she was, reliving every possible memories she held as the last bit of her consciousness fades. The last face she saw, her murderer, her friend... Senku could’ve sworn she saw his lips moved before her vision blurred, but she couldn’t make out what was said by the man. The screams and cries of her two closest friends fell on deaf ears. The image of the teal-haired boy who she had trusted completely lingered in the corner of her peripheral vision, his frame encasing Taiju’s and stopping him from reaching her. He had done exactly what she expected, and even as her entire world turns to black, she still trusted him as her friend... the same way he trusted her to survive...

🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍🌏

“I’m going to space.”

That was how it started. A single proclamation, a promise, dismissed as nothing more than empty dreams of a first grader. How wrong they all were to believe that a little girl like her couldn’t achieve what she had desired. Even when what she desired was so far out of reach, Senku strived, constantly pushing forward without hesitation to becoming a young, brilliant mind far above surpassing not just her peers, but the intellectuals that were idolized before her. 

“You guys okay?” The kid held out a hand to her, which she gladly took and was pulled back to her feet.

”I’m fine.” Senku proceeded to observe her new company after they saved her. They were all kids, all three of them looked to be around her own age. “Thanks for the assist.”

“Anytime!” The boy who helped her up stated cheerfully, like he wasn’t just half beaten up by the bullies two minutes ago. He and the spiky, browned hair kid were pretty bruised. She just had a scraped knee and a bruised butt, still far better than the two. The two just stood in the way of people three times their size, letting themselves get hit. What a bunch of brave idiots. 

The one actually responsible for chasing those jerks away was actually the other one. From the looks of it, he and the other cheerful kid were twins. They both had the same metallic-teal eyes and wavy, blue hair. What set them apart was the air they gave off, one was cheerful and approachable, the other couldn’t look her in the eyes. He kept facing the ground whenever she tried to look at him, like he was scared. Weird, but ok, she wasn’t about to judge. Still, his attitude didn’t suggest that he was the type of kid who would sneak up behind three bullies and singlehandedly perform some weird ninjutsu shit to chase them off, even though that was definitely what he had done.

”That was so cool! I never would’ve had the guts to hit someone when they hit me! You were like “WAM” then they were like “AAHHH!”, SO COOL!” Spiky haired kid said, motioning with his hands and feet to “imitate” what shy blue had done. “I’m Taiju by the way.”

”Kiyoshi! This is my baby brother, Hitoshi! He’s a real life ninja!” Shy blue pulled his hood over his face, mumbling something along the lines of, “That’s not true.” and “Only five minutes apart.”

”WOW! I NEVER MET A NINJA BEFORE!”

”I’m not... I just kicked the back of their knees. Then I struck them on the head with my bag. Then I stepped on their fingers and...” Yeah, Senku remembered, it looked incredible painful and brutal. Fortunately for the bullies, he couldn’t have caused much damage considering his size, at least she thinks so. But it was impressive how fast the kid, Hitoshi, had done it all. Definitely a shy one, but doesn’t seem to have a problem with throwing a punch at enemies bigger than he was, the complete opposite of the two pacifists who had hit it off with each other and now spoke like they’ve been friends for years. 

Senku was ready to brush all this aside and go back to her contraption, now broken and in dire need of repairs or it might explode. Shame she couldn’t get all the measurements she had hoped for. Whatever, she’ll get her revenge on those three meatheads soon enough.

”So what’s your name?” Stopping from her current task, her red eyes meet with a pair of joyful teal. 

“Senku Ishigami. Thanks again for helping me.” 

He and Taiju moved towards her and helped picked up the broken pieces for her. His brother chose to hang back, nervously twiddling his thumbs. He seemed to be hesitating on whether or not to help out. The kid still couldn’t look her in the eyes, he couldn’t even look properly in her general direction.

“Don’t mind, Hitoshi. He’s just really really shy.”

”I can see that...”

”Aren’t ninjas suppose to be quiet and lonely?! How else is he going to sneak around and blend in the shadows?! GASP!! CAN YOU DO SHADOW CLONES JUTSU?!” She couldn’t hold back the eye roll from that statement. It may be appropriate beliefs for their age, but Senku just doesn’t have that kind of thought process, she never really did.

While those two were going at it back and forth about ninjas, Kiyoshi returned his attention to her. His teal eyes fell down to her knee. The smile fell from his face and he gave her a sympathetic look. Senku noticed it immediately, she opened her mouths to let him know that it was no big deal and that she was fine. It wasn’t something he needed to pity her for, she’s been injured way worse than this from her own experiments. It hurts sure, but she’ll live. Though before Senku could get a word through to the boy, he spoke up first.

”You’re amazing...”

“...” She gawked at him for a good while. That was not what she was expecting him to say. Those words Kiyoshi spoke sounded too genuine, there wasn’t a trace of sympathy in them, no, rather he was at awe at her, even a little envious.

”You must be really determined to be able to get so far already. I’m kind of jealous, if only I love something as much as you love science. Keep it up and you’ll get to space for sure.” Senku said nothing. The duo in the back were too busy debating Naruto to acknowledge their conversation. How did Kiyoshi know about her intentions of going to space? The lack of response must’ve made the boy realize her confusion or it was the dumbfounded look she was making. “Hitoshi and I go to the same school as you, we never personally met since we’re in different classes. But I was wandering the halls one day and overheard your little proclamation. I also help out in the library, shelving borrowed books from time to time. You were always there. The books you borrowed were always the advance textbooks. Not what every other person in our grade would do.”

”Ahh, so you were stalking me. Creepy much?” She joked with smirk.

”More or less, you can say I’m a fan of yours. But I wouldn’t mind being your stalker either, you’re quite the beauty after all.” He smirked back at her. Senku blushed a little, proceeding to try and hide it by pouting and facing away. Seeming to expect this kind of reaction, Kiyoshi laughed a hearty laugh. “Aww, now that’s just adorable.”

”S-Shut it! Creepy stalker...” But he kept on laughing anyways. Senku could feel her cheeks burning up even more. Her heart was beating faster than normal. Was she having a heart attack? Was she about to die from humiliation? Why else would her heart rate accelerate all of a sudden? She’s going to die and it was going to be this boy’s, whom she just met, fault.

”Kiyoshi, we should go. Dad will be mad if we come home late.” After hearing what Hitoshi had said, Kiyoshi’s laughter came to a halt, his smile faltered and looked weak and force.

The twins began to depart from Senku and Taiju. Kiyoshi made sure to hand everything he picked up to Taiju, the two sharing an enthusiastic fist bump as a goodbye. Before they could leave completely, Kiyoshi called out over his shoulders. “I hope to see you guys again soon. And Senku, good luck, let me know if you need any help in the future. I’ll be cheering you on!” With that he ran off to catch up with his younger brother, giving a thumbs up as he go.

Senku huffed at his back. The albino didn’t like the way her face was burning up because of him. She went on to gather her stuff from Taiju, but he insisted on helping her carry her stuff back home. She shrugged it off, it was free labour, who was she to decline? They parted ways after they got to her place, agreeing to talk again the following day at school. How strangely coincidental that all four of them went to the same school, are in the same grade, yet never spoken till that incident. Well, it wasn’t important. What’s important was now Senku needed to get working on her next project, revenge.

They were inseparable since that day. Senku, Taiju and Kiyoshi, the two boys were always seen following Senku around and assisting her with her crazy dangerous experiments. Hitoshi would stick around them in school, but never outside of school. He was always busy with his martial arts classes. Then around middle school Taiju developed a crush, a very obvious crush on their new addition, Yuzuriha. Kiyoshi would constantly give them both hints about his OTP, senku would agree they belong together since they’re both soooo clueless about their own affections for the others.

Senku remembers the first time she saw all her hard work, all their hard work came to fruition. She can still remember the excitement she easily masked with a calm front as they made their trek uphill to launch their latest model. Kiyoshi and Taiju were carrying Senku3 and Yuzuriha had brought along her four replicas of them. Hitoshi couldn’t come because of his extra-curriculum. But he had wished them luck. Still it was one of the moments in her life she would never forget. Watching Senku3 soar into the air and then blowing up in midair, she was at first despondent at another failure, then a transmission appeared on her laptop and the signature smirk instantly broke out across her face. She...no, THEY SUCCEEDED! One small step closer to her dreams.

”Hey, Yuzuriha said you wanted to talk to me in private.” Senku walked up towards her blue-haired friend, who sat on the ground, leaning against the chain link fence surrounding the rooftop. He had a guitar resting on his lap, his diligent fingers lightly plucking a chord or two leisurely. Her red eyes fell to the armillary sphere pendant hung around his neck, a new addition to his school uniform. “So, you’re certain that thing’s really from her?”

”Yeah, I know it is. Hitoshi doesn’t though, he kind of gave up hope, not that I blame him. This is the first time she’s responded to any of my letters in years.” The albino slid down next to him. “This is good though. At least now I know she’s still out there somewhere. There’s still a chance...”

Senku bit her lip, desperately pushing back from shooting down Kiyoshi’s hopes. When she had heard about the letter and necklace the bluenette had supposedly received from his mother, it was the happiest she had ever seen him. Logic argues that chances were slim, since the woman had not said anything to either of her children in years. Senku herself never really bothered seeking out her biological parents, but she had no real reason to. Byakuya was her father, and honestly, whatever a normal, nuclear family may be like, she was more than satisfied with the one family she had. But the twins weren’t like her, finding their mother was their chance of escaping their father. She couldn’t fully comprehend what they’re going through because her home life was nothing like the hell they are forced to return to everyday.

”Speaking of which, we only have a couple of weeks of middle school left. Hitoshi hasn’t showed up for quite some time. What’s up with that?” The girl tried to redirect the conversation elsewhere. The mood had gotten a little too dreary for her taste. Unfortunately bringing up Hitoshi was a mistake.

”Oh. He’s been busy. Dad’s been making him run a few errands. You know, preparing to takeover the family business someday.” Senku stiffened from what she heard. It completely explained why the boy had almost cut off all contact with any of them. She now felt bad bringing that up. She can’t imagine what Hitoshi must be going through at the moment, worst was that she couldn’t do anything to help the guy either. Kiyoshi mindlessly strum his guitar, crestfallen but solemn. “Well, never mind all that. I still haven’t gotten to why I called you up here yet!”

The bright smile had returned to his mature, handsome face. Senku would be lying if she said that she didn’t find her childhood friend remotely attractive. To tell truth, he was one of the most attractive guys in their grade, a true Casanova. He did check a lot of boxes. Tall, handsome, kind, smart, mature, patient, a good musician and always seems to know what to say to improve her mood when she’s down. Kiyoshi was quite the catch if you do say so herself.

“So what did you need me for? What’s so private that I need to come up here for?” She smirked tauntingly at the boy who just simply smirked right back. “Is this some kind of love confession?” She stated jokingly.

”Well...” Senku stiffened. Oh. OH! “I wrote a song for you actually. And yeah, I wanted to confess my feelings.” She hated how calm and collected he was saying all that. Kiyoshi didn’t even have the decency to get a little flustered from what he just said. Stupid ikemen, Senku was mentally cursing him over and over again, but he had the galls to simply brushed it off and began strumming his guitar. 

“Ohayou sekai Good Morning World! 

Dore hodo aruitaro?   
Ashi no itami dake ga  
Sono kyori wo monogataru

Nagai yoru wo koeta  
Zekkei no kitai ga  
Kyou mo boku wo ikashiteiru

Kamigami no reihou shinryoku no kyuuden  
Gankutsu no saiou soukyuu no hate  
Touha shite miseru genkai wa nai  
Hoshi no sumizumi made

Ohayou sekai Good Morning World!   
Fukanou no yami wo haratte shinwa wo nichijou ni kaeteku Odyssey  
Ippo zutsu ishi wo ugatsu you na  
Kono ayumi de sekai wo hirogeyou.” 

Fingers slowed to a stop as the hand rested over the strings. A serene calm spread over as the last lyric was carried out. Teal eyes slowly opened, taking in the ruby paired that gaze at him in stunned, and flushed, silence. Grinning, pleased with the results he had, Kiyoshi reached over and tuck away a loose strand of Senku’s hair. His hand lingered for a moment longer on her cheek, relishing in the warmth as the albino grew redder and redder.

”I love you, Senku Ishigami. Be my girlfriend?”

Too bad. Too bad, it didn’t last... His love didn’t last and she would never see the real him ever again.

🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎

“AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! SENKUUUUUU!!”

The teen’s body fell into Tsukasa’s arms, limp and lifeless. Ruby irises once shined with life and resolutions now faded to a dull red. The spark that personified her will and testament to achieve all she desired was burnt out. Senku Ishigami was dead, humanity’s greatest scientific resource now but a corpse in her killer’s arms.

The primate gently laid her body on the ground. With one last longing gaze, Tsukasa brought his hand down and closed her eye, hand lingered a fraction longer against her face, a permanent image of those vacant red eyes etched deep in his memories. He won’t ever forget the face she had made in her final moments, the way she had stared him down with her resolve. He said all he could, no words or actions can move her, she wouldn’t side with Tsukasa’s ideals for the life of him.

Taiju and Yuzurihas’ cries of outrage and despair rang out in the empty space. The former having tore himself away from Kiyoshi’s hold ran to his fallen friend’s side, pushing past Tsukasa and kneeling down to take her form in his arms. Yuzuriha joined him, tears flowing down her eyes endlessly as the constant realization washed over her again and again. Their screams and cries tore at the blue-haired boy’s heart, but he remained rooted where he stood. He had no rights to cry, he knew what his actions would result in and proceeded to do so regardless. Still, it didn’t stop the feeling of a billion knives plunging into his chest repeatedly, nor did it cease the stinging in his eyes as he held back tears. 

“SENKU! COME ON, TALK TO ME... SAY SOMETHING PLEASE!! SENKU. YOU CAN’T... NOT HERE.” Taiju’s voice broke as he spoke. The feeling of his closest friend laying dead in his hold. It was so surreal, far beyond any fears he’s felt in a very long time. “YOU CAN’T SERIOUSLY DIE ON ME LIKE THIS!!” The heart-wrenching wail from Taiju tore at Kiyoshi’s walls as the boy suffered further trying to hold himself together. Teal eyes squeezed shut, head turned away from the pathetic scene playing out in front of him.

”She felt no pain...” Tsukasa’s voice added even more weight into the already suffocating atmosphere. The three having to be reminded that their friend’s life, once again, had been taken away by this man. But none had room for hatred or anger, not with the overwhelming misery that rocked their very souls. “I trust that you, as her friends...will give her a proper burial.”

The air tensed, Kiyoshi immediately looked to Taiju. He was about to do something, Tsukasa also seemed to have felt it. Taiju moved for a nearby stone and picked it up. Yuzuriha called out to him in disbelief. The primate took up position in response, ready for the smaller boy to charge at him. But Kiyoshi didn’t felt that way, something was off. Taiju was never the type to attack, anger is reasonable, but on Taiju it sounded too far fetched, he was later proven right as he caught his friends exchanging words he could not make out.

Before Kiyoshi could properly process what they were planning, the duo took action. As Taiju threw the stone overhead, Tsukasa’s eyes were trained on him completely, he didn’t notice the second figure dashing away. Teal eyes trained on the brunette’s form as she made a grab for a clay pot a short distance away, needing to bite his own tongue from calling out to her in worry and unintentionally alerting Tsukasa of her movements. 

With the black powder in hand, Yuzuriha threw it at the Strongest High School Primate. He kicked the pot in defense, breaking it and spilling its contents in the process. When the realization finally dawned on him it was too late, the stone had already touched the ground.

”WATCH OUT!!” Kiyoshi called out as sparks were lit. A massive explosion broke out less than a second after. The whole cliff side was engulfed in smoke and flames. Under cover of smoke, Kiyoshi heard the shuffling and movements before a single voice spoke up.

”Goodbye, Tsukasa, Kiyoshi!” It was the calmest he ever heard Taiju ever. Worst, the pain when he heard his name made his eyes stung more than the smoke could ever hoped to do. But there was no time for that now. He needed to get himself under control. Emotions pushed aside.

”Tsukasa! You okay?!” 

The flames that burst to life mere moments ago had since then calmed. Tsukasa stood at the centre of it, eyes trained darkly at the edge of the cliff now empty of people. The fact that his clothings were burning seemed to have little importance to his wellbeing as he simply tore off the burning top, revealing his bare chest and the glaringly obvious petrification cracks that ran down his front. “I’m fine.”

Sharing the trajectory of the primate, Kiyoshi gazed at the space his friends once stood. Senku’s body was gone along with their supplies. “They ran away... What now? Do we follow them?” He hopes not. That was not even close to enough time for Taiju and Yuzuriha to get themselves and Senku a safe distance away from Tsukasa, and that was not counting the man’s inhuman speed.

The long-haired man was deep in thought, analyzing over the events that transpired. He miscalculated both their capabilities. Amber eyes wandered over to his remaining companion gazing into the distance. Did he miscalculated Kiyoshi too? Only time will tell, but he won’t be letting his hairs down around the younger male any time soon.

”Let’s get going. They won’t be a problem for us anymore, not without Senku.” Kiyoshi pushes back the bile that threatened to rise from his throat as he was reminded of that cruel fact, but managed to keep a solemn expression on. As the two moved away from the scenery, Kiyoshi took one final look back at the area of the confrontation. They’re safe, for now, knowing this made him smile. 

“You’ll be fine, you always find a way...Senku...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N) I’ve been so stressed and busy with school lately, I barely had any time to write at all. Sorry for the inactivity. I can’t promise I’ll be able to update regularly again anytime soon, but I’ll try to write, it’s my one escape from the madness I’m living through.


End file.
